Podcasts about square feet

It's only 450 Square Feet, but L.A.'s Now Serving Cookbook Store is so much more than a place to buy food books. Its co-founder Ken Concepcion explains how his tiny bookstore became home base for Serious Eaters in LA. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In this episode of The Volley Pod, hosts Davis and Tod discuss the Triple Crown tournament, emphasizing the emotional investment coaches have in their teams. They delve into skill development, focusing on attacking choices, shot access, and situational awareness. The conversation also addresses team culture issues, offering actionable strategies for coaches to improve their team's dynamics and performance. The episode concludes with resources for further learning and development in volleyball coaching.*Note: Davis speaks of a past episode with David Durand, but this episode will actually be aired beginning 2/27 at 9pm PSTThe Art of Coaching Volleyball videos from today's episode:https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/hitter-training-attacking-vs-single/ - Mark Barnard https://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/outside-hitting-a-philosophy-on-sharp-angle-hits-line-shots-and-tipping/ - Mark Barnardhttps://www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com/refining-your-hitters-toolbox/ - Mark Barnard Resource of the Week900 Square Feet Newletterhttps://volleyballmag.com/900-square-feet-ncaa-volleyball-zoom-110424/Tod's new book, The Volleyball Coach's Book of Lists, is available now on Amazon here: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/VOLLEYBALL-COACHS-BOOK-LISTS-Inspiration-ebook/dp/B0DP5HSZ5K?ref_=ast_author_mpb⁠ Find The Art of Coaching Volleyball at:⁠ ⁠⁠www.theartofcoachingvolleyball.com⁠⁠⁠ The Art of Coaching Volleyball is a comprehensive resource designed to help coaches of all levels to improve their skills, teaching methods, and enhance their knowledge of volleyball. It offers a mix of instructional support, tools, and resources to support coaches in developing athletes and running effective practices.Check out Balltime at:⁠ ⁠www.balltime.com⁠⁠Balltime is an AI-powered volleyball platform designed to provide professional-level game breakdowns, video analysis, and highlight creation for players, coaches, and clubs. Developed by a team of passionate volleyball players and technology enthusiasts, Balltime aims to make advanced video and analytics accessible to everyone.Check out The Volley Pod on Instagram at⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aoc.thevolleypod/⁠

Phil Gottula was my first guest to bring in a charcuterie plate - and we shared a beautiful bottle of white wine he also brought in - and we talked about the business of event rentals.  Specifically, his business which is the leader in Northern Colorado event rentals - FLEXX Productions.  The event rental industry is an interesting critter.  Unlike a retail transaction where the customer pays and leaves with their stuff - event rental requires the business not only to deliver - (on time, every time, no matter what!) - but also the business must pick their equipment back up from the location, and clean and refresh for the next customer.  Phil is an expert in the industry, and shares abundantly from what he's learned.  And - he's a philosopher, an adventurer, a dog dad, and a wonderful conversationalist.  So please enjoy, as I did, my conversation with Phil Gottula.The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by: Logistics Co-op | https://logisticscoop.com/

Ever wonder why some restaurants handle mobile orders like a well-oiled machine while others feel like organized chaos? In this eye-opening episode, Kyle breaks down why your pickup area might be the hidden trouble spot you never knew you had. From delivery drivers blacklisting your restaurant to customers doing the awkward hover-dance by your counter, Kyle shares the real talk on fixing these common headaches. Key Topics: The "million-dollar corner" - Why the 42 square feet by your front door could make or break your off-premise business What Kyle learned from watching hundreds of confused DoorDash drivers (it's not pretty) Simple fixes that turn pickup chaos into smooth operations Why traditional restaurant design is failing in the digital order era The surprising impact of pickup design on in-store sales

Episode 652: How many Rhode Islands fit into Alaska? Why are there so many Guinea countries? Andrew hates this Seve YouTube guy that Gabriela shared with us. Cleaning nick-knacks. Cult behavior. A list of tech old people and Andrew hate. Car companies are tracking you and selling your data!

- Report: TSMC AZ Plant Making SiPs for Apple Watch - Despite Apple's Billion Dollar Pledge, Indonesia Keeps iPhone 16 Sales Ban in Place - Apple Seeds Betas of Next Round of OS Updates to Public Testers - Problems Confirmed with Apple Cash on Wednesday - Baldur's Gate 3 for iOS: A Scam App in Apple's App Store - Apple Leases Over 190,000 Square Feet in Seattle - Two Apple TV+ Shows Get Four SAG Award Nominations - Apple TV+ Outs Trailer for Fourth Season of “Mythic Quest” - We're looking at three of our favorites A.I. films on Checklist 405 - Neo-el: Hacky Holidays Reloaded - online at checklist.libsyn.com - Catch Ken on Mastodon - @macosken@mastodon.social - Chat with us in Patreon for as little as $1 a month. Support the show at Patreon.com/macosken - Send me an email: info@macosken.com or call (716)780-4080!

Save $1,500 off the regular ticket price of GYM BUSINESS MANIA by clicking here! This expires January 1st its your chance to save money and attend the most sought after Gym Business event of 2025! In this episode of the FBU Podcast, Vince Gabriele sits down with Brent Gallagher, owner of Avenue Fit, to discuss how he built one of the most efficient and successful gyms in the country. Brent shares his journey from starting with a single client to running a gym with over 500 members in just 3,000 square feet, all while providing a high-touch, personal experience. With lessons on leadership, retention, branding, and team culture, this episode offers practical strategies for gym owners who want to grow sustainably while staying connected to their community. Top 5 Key Topics DiscussedMaximizing Space and Efficiency: How Avenue Fit thrived with 500+ members in a 3,000-square-foot space.Building a Strong Team Culture: The role of shared values and intentional connection in creating a standout team.Leadership That Inspires: Brent's approach to self-awareness and leading by example to grow his business.Client Retention Done Right: Unique strategies that foster long-term client relationships, with some members staying for over a decade.Rebranding for Growth: The thought process behind transforming “West U Fit” into “Avenue Fit” and creating a lifestyle-driven local brand. If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com or book a call by CLICKING HERE!

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes back Tim Sayles to the podcast to discuss the behind-the-scenes process of opening a new store in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Tim, the Director of Facilities and Construction, details his extensive experience, noting that this is his 25th completed construction project with Broad River Retail, 16 of which are new stores. The conversation covers the significant logistical effort involved in the store's setup, including the receipt of several 53-foot trucks loaded with inventory and the coordination of numerous teams to ensure a smooth and efficient opening process. The episode also highlights the collaborative efforts and strategic planning that go into opening a new store, from the initial lease signing (in the Fall of 2023) to the final touches before the unveiling to the public with the store opening. Tim and Charlie discuss the vital roles of various teams, including visual merchandisers, operations, and construction, emphasizing the teamwork and coordination required to meet tight deadlines. They also mention the advantages of the store's location in Rock Hill, its significance within the greater Charlotte area, and the anticipated customer base. The Rock Hill store is 35,560 Square Feet and is located off of I-77, on Dave Lyle Blvd, adjacent to the Galleria Mall.  The new Rock Hill store is only 10 miles south of Broad River's corporate campus and distribution center in Fort Mill, South Carolina.  This new Ashley Store is a 7.0 format and represents the latest store design from Ashley Global Retail.  This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b4_1KM_e7xY  Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.  Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com                         Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail   

In this episode of Stories from the River, host Charlie Malouf welcomes back Tim Sayles to the podcast to discuss the behind-the-scenes process of opening a new store in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Tim, the Director of Facilities and Construction, details his extensive experience, noting that this is his 25th completed construction project with Broad River Retail, 16 of which are new stores. The conversation covers the significant logistical effort involved in the store's setup, including the receipt of several 53-foot trucks loaded with inventory and the coordination of numerous teams to ensure a smooth and efficient opening process. The episode also highlights the collaborative efforts and strategic planning that go into opening a new store, from the initial lease signing (in the Fall of 2023) to the final touches before the unveiling to the public with the store opening. Tim and Charlie discuss the vital roles of various teams, including visual merchandisers, operations, and construction, emphasizing the teamwork and coordination required to meet tight deadlines. They also mention the advantages of the store's location in Rock Hill, its significance within the greater Charlotte area, and the anticipated customer base. The Rock Hill store is 35,560 Square Feet and is located off of I-77, on Dave Lyle Blvd, adjacent to the Galleria Mall.  The new Rock Hill store is only 10 miles south of Broad River's corporate campus and distribution center in Fort Mill, South Carolina.  This new Ashley Store is a 7.0 format and represents the latest store design from Ashley Global Retail.  This episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/b4_1KM_e7xY  Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes.  Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com                         Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broad-river-retail   

SolarKal is a curated marketplace and trusted advisor that makes solar installations easy for commercial real estate owners. Their clients represent 100 million square feet of real estate, and their 200 vetted solar installers have generated $1.6 billion in project bids to date. And over 80% of positive ROI solar projects get built. Yaniv is a mechanical engineer, 2x founder, and MBA from Columbia with over a decade of experience in the solar industry. In this episode, you'll learn these four important takeaways and much more. How they get paid (it might not be what you think) How he bootstrapped the business for years until recently taking private equity investment  How they built their software and their roadmap going forward The origin of their name and how that relates to the reason that clients choose them

Founder of Project H.O.O.D. Pastor Corey Brooks joins the Steve Cochran Show to discuss Capitol Hill visiting Project H.O.O.D.'s new community center, Chicago leaders stepping up to support his mission, and how the new community center will help Chicago communities regain their confidence & self-belief.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

www.avenufit.com We're joined by Brent Gallagher, owner of Avenue Fit in Houston, Texas, who shares his unique approach to managing a highly successful gym through the concept of small group 30-minute training sessions. Brent discusses the evolution of his business model, from starting with individual sessions to accommodating up to six clients per session, emphasizing the importance of personalized attention and swift, efficient service that respects both the clients' time and fitness goals. Brent also highlights the significance of building a strong community within the gym, utilizing the power of personal connections and meticulous customer service to foster a welcoming environment. Through stories of resilience, adaptability, and leadership, Brent provides a blueprint for gym owners and fitness enthusiasts looking to enhance their operations and client relationships in meaningful ways. If you're a gym owner seeking answers on how you can grow your gym, make more money, and have more freedom to do what you love, visit www.vincegabriele.com.

The built environment, particularly office buildings other urban facilities, are responsible for 39% of the global energy-related emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. About a third of that impact comes from the initial construction of a building and the other two-thirds is produced over the lifetime of a building by heating, cooling, and providing power to the occupants. Our guest today is leading a key battle to reduce the impact of the built environment. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation with Rob Bernard, Chief Sustainability Officer at CBRE Group Inc., which manages more than $145 billion of commercial buildings, providing logistics, retail, and corporate office services across more than 100 countries.Rob cut his sustainability teeth at Microsoft, as its Chief Environmental Strategist for 11 years, as the company was developing its world-leading approach and collaborating with other tech giants to lobby for policy and funding to accelerate progress. He discusses CBRE's Sustainability Solutions & Services for commercial building owners, as well as the accelerating progress for renewables, carbon tracking, and economic, health, and lifestyle benefits of living lightly on the planet. You can learn more about CBRE and its sustainability services at cbre.comTake a few minutes to learn more about making construction and building operations more sustainable:Earth911 Podcast: Cityzenith's Michael Jansen Uses Digital Twins to Reinvent Urban PlanningEarth911 Podcast: Concrete.ai CEO Alex Hall On Mixing Embodied Carbon Out Of the Built EnvironmentBest of Earth911 Podcast: Lowering Construction Impacts With Green Badger's Tommy LinstrothBest of Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular EconomyBest of Earth911 Podcast: Autodesk Spacemaker Aides Building Efficiency With AI InsightsHow to Assess Your Business' Environmental and Social ImpactsPassive House Design: Changing the Future of New Home Construction

Join host AJ Paron in an enlightening conversation with Jennifer Kolstad, the Global Design and Brand Director at Ford Motor Company, as they delve into the fascinating world of design and its profound impact. Despite her limited background in healthcare design, Jennifer took on the monumental task of spearheading the six-million-square-foot Kuwait Children's Hospital project with HKS. Together, they explore the intricacies of this ambitious endeavor and touch on themes of innovation, empathy, and the lasting influence of design on our world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PREVIEW: #VEGAS:  In conversation with colleague Jeff Bliss re the plans to construct a 5,000 square feet of an extravgant Hollywood Studio in Clark County -- the county of Las Vegas -- backed by Sony Entertainment, and Howard Hughes Holdings: with entrepreneur actor Mark Wahlberg.  More later. 1955 Desert Inn  

In this episode of Invest in Square Feet, Matt Shields and guest Tim Fitzgerald dive into the world of multifamily value-add investments and explore how they have become a cornerstone of our investment strategy. Tim, shares insights into recent developments, including the launch of two innovative funds. The first fund is a debt fund designed to provide investors with a diversified and liquid option for investing in multifamily properties. Tim discusses how this fund offers consistent returns and liquidity, making it an attractive option for investors seeking stable income streams. We also introduce a unique investment opportunity in Phoenix: the build-to-rent series. This model aims to accelerate investors' wealth growth by strategically developing multifamily communities for rent. The pair talk how this approach caters to investors' diverse needs, whether they prioritize exponential growth or steady cash flow for retirement planning. Throughout the episode, it's emphasized the importance of offering a range of investment options to meet investors' varying goals and risk profiles. Matt and Tim share their approach to exploring new investment offers, like self-storage and energy funds, to provide investors with additional opportunities while prioritizing due diligence and risk management. Tune in to learn more about diversifying your real estate investment portfolio and uncovering new avenues for wealth accumulation.      

The housing affordability crisis worsens. Young buyers are forced to consider extreme measures, including tiny homes, to find affordable living spaces. Today's episode explores the dramatic shift in housing trends and its implications. Subscribe to podcast updates: https://form.jotform.com/223614751580152 Ask Ric: https://www.thetayf.com/pages/ask-ric ----- Follow Ric on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RicEdelman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ric_edelman/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricedelman/ X: https://twitter.com/ricedelman YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RicEdelman ----- Brought to you by: Invesco QQQ: https://www.invesco.com/qqq-etf/en/home.html Schwab: https://www.schwab.com/ Disclosure page: https://www.thetayf.com/pages/sponsorship-disclosure-fee -----

Welcome to "Invest in Sqft" with Matt Shields, your guide to navigating the world of real estate investment. As the founder of Invest in Sqft, Matt is on a mission to empower business owners and high-net-worth individuals to expand their wealth through passive real estate investments. In this eye-opening episode, Matt dispels a common misconception surrounding real estate markets: the belief that prime markets are out of reach due to high costs. He emphasizes the importance of diversification in investment portfolios, cautioning against over-reliance on properties in expensive markets. Drawing from his extensive experience, Matt shares insights into the dynamic nature of real estate markets and the value of diversifying assets across different property types and classes. He explains how investing in properties across various market segments mitigates risk and enhances long-term portfolio stability. Furthermore, Matt sheds light on the opportune moment in early 2024 to explore investments in traditionally pricey markets experiencing a shift. He discusses the impact of rising interest rates on property values and identifies emerging opportunities for savvy investors to acquire assets at reduced prices. Delving deeper, Matt explores the indicators of a promising real estate market, from proximity to amenities to economic drivers and population trends. He offers practical advice on identifying up-and-coming areas ripe for investment and navigating different phases of the market cycle. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just dipping your toes into real estate, this episode provides invaluable insights and actionable strategies for building a diversified and resilient real estate portfolio. Join Matt Shields on "Invest in Square Feet" as he uncovers the keys to successful real estate investment in today's dynamic landscape.

In a captivating podcast episode, architect Dan Leon and our host Rion delve into the intricacies of large-scale projects like the James Webb Telescope, drawing parallels between architecture and filmmaking. They discuss the importance of continuity of thought in design and the challenges of collaboration across different departments. Leon shares insights from his forays into property development, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit and problem-solving skills essential for success. The conversation transitions seamlessly from discussing architectural services to the unique offerings of Square Feet Home, providing a glimpse into the world of bespoke residential projects. Discover the surprising similarities between architecture and filmmaking. Learn about the challenges and rewards of property development from an architect's perspective. Explore the hand-holding approach of Square Feet Home in guiding homeowners through the design process. Uncover the secrets behind successfully blending creativity with commercial acumen in architecture.   To learn more about Daniel, visit his: Website: https://www.squarefeetarchitects.co.uk/team Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sqft.architects/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sqftarchitects/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/21018577/   ► Transcription: https://otter.ai/u/m34kYNgzcAUOGr5k9a6YEEkCEHQ?utm_source=copy_url   ► Feedback? Email us at podcast@businessofarchitecture.com   ► Access your free training at http://SmartPracticeMethod.com/   ► If you want to speak directly to our advisors, book a call at https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/call   ► Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for updates:   https://www.youtube.com/c/BusinessofArchitecture   *******   For more free tools and resources for running a profitable, impactful, and fulfilling practice, connect with me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessofarchitecture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enoch.sears/ Website: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BusinessofArch Podcast: http://www.businessofarchitecture.com/podcast iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/business-architecture-podcast/id588987926 Android Podcast Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/BusinessofArchitecture-podcast Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9idXNpbmVzc29mYXJjaGl0ZWN0dXJlLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz   *******   Access the FREE Architecture Firm Profit Map video here: http://freearchitectgift.com   Download the FREE Architecture Firm Marketing Process Flowchart video here: http://freearchitectgift.com   Carpe Diem!  

This week #thesandboxbrothers discuss:You met me like thisGirls TripDateline RelationshipsLebron Shaq is lonelyNBA ALL-STAR GameIs Winter over?MLBChampions LeaguePickle Ball Origins of CurlingWine TastingAll this and more current events on the #sanboxbrotherspodcast 

Hey there, it's Matt Shields, founder of Invest in Square Feet, and today we're tackling a common concern among real estate investors: the perceived difficulty and stress of managing properties. But dont worry, because I'm here to uncover the game-changing solution: passive investing. In this episode we dive into how passive investing can revolutionize your real estate journey, making it more manageable and less stressful than ever before. From navigating tenant issues to dealing with unexpected repairs, property management can indeed be daunting. But with passive investing, you can enjoy the benefits of real estate without the day-to-day headaches. Drawing from my own experiences, I'll share how passive investing transformed my approach to real estate, freeing up my time and reducing stress while still reaping the financial rewards. We'll explore various passive investment strategies, including real estate investment trusts (REITs), syndications, turnkey properties, and crowdfunding platforms. But passive investing isn't without its pitfalls, and I'll guide you through common mistakes to avoid, such as insufficient due diligence and neglecting diversification. Plus, I'll introduce you to the transformative benefits of joining a community like Invest in Square Feet, where you can access vetted opportunities, gain valuable insights, and receive ongoing support on your passive investment journey. So if you're ready to unlock stress-free success in real estate investing, tune in now and discover how passive investing can make your dreams a reality. With the right strategies and support, you can navigate the world of real estate with confidence and ease. Let's embark on this journey together.

With just 1,700 square feet of usable space, Daniel Purington's gym averages around $50,000 in revenue per month, allowing him to earn over $100,000 in net owner benefit, provide careers for four full-time staff members and pay two part-timers. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host John Franklin sits down with Daniel, owner of Woodslawn Fitness in Portland, Oregon, to uncover the secrets of his success: consultative selling, diversified revenue streams, strong systems and mentorship.By pairing carefully created programs and consultative selling—aka, No Sweat Intros—Daniel gives clients the services they need, while boosting profit and retention. Solid systems enable Daniel to focus his time where he chooses, both inside and outside the gym.And having a trusted mentor to hold you accountable and celebrate your successes is, in Daniel's words, “like dumping gas on the flame.”Check out Daniel's tips, and then use them to determine whether you're making the most of your time and space.LinksDaniel's Instagram Woodslawn FitnessGym Owners UnitedBook a Call 0:34 - What Dan's gym does7:17 - Dan's pricing model15:49 - The process and how it works26:13 - Incorporating the hybrid30:41 - What has Dan been planning?

Welcome to "Amplifying Success," where Matt Shields and Aaron Yassin dive into the transformative power of active listening. In this episode, we explore the profound impact of attentive listening on both personal and professional growth. Join Matt Shields, founder of Invest in Square Feet, and Aaron Yessin, a seasoned entrepreneur, as they share their candid experiences and insights on the journey to becoming better listeners. Together, they navigate the challenges of staying present in conversations, the importance of honest self-assessment, and the strategies for continuous improvement. Through introspective reflections and practical advice, Matt and Aaron offer a roadmap for harnessing the full potential of active listening. Discover how understanding your strengths and weaknesses, prioritizing personal growth, and embracing vulnerability can lead to greater clarity, connection, and success in all areas of life. So, whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, seasoned professional, or simply someone looking to enhance your communication skills, join us on this enlightening journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Tune in now and learn how to amplify your success through the art of active listening. Check out Aaron at https://www.hivedevelopers.nyc/      

Hey there, it's Matt Shields, founder of Invest in Square Feet, and today we're diving headfirst into a topic that plagues many aspiring real estate investors: the struggle to find good deals. Join me as we unravel this common challenge and unlock the secrets to identifying and securing valuable real estate investments. In this episode, I'll draw from my own experiences to shed light on the misconception that lucrative real estate opportunities are rare or inaccessible. From battling early frustrations to discovering a wealth of untapped potential, I'll share how a shift in strategy and mindset transformed my approach to deal-finding. We'll explore practical strategies for navigating the competitive real estate market, including the importance of networking, mastering market analysis, and leveraging technology and tools. I'll also highlight common pitfalls to avoid, ensuring you steer clear of costly mistakes in your quest for good deals. But finding good deals isn't just about luck – it's about equipping yourself with the right knowledge and resources. That's why I'll walk you through essential steps to define your investment criteria, engage with real estate communities, and continuously educate yourself to stay ahead in the market. And for those ready to take their deal-finding skills to the next level, I'll introduce the transformative benefits of joining a community like Invest In Sqft. From insider knowledge and collaborative opportunities to educational resources and mentorship, our community is your gateway to success in the real estate world. So if you're tired of sitting on the sidelines, wondering if the next great deal will ever come your way, tune in now and learn how to turn the challenge of finding good deals into a rewarding part of your investment journey. With the right approach and support, lucrative real estate opportunities are within your reach. Let's uncover them together.            

On a balmy, window-opened February night in New York City, we got the great fortune to sit down with Michael Ruhlman and Ann Hood: Dear friends, incredibly accomplished writers, and husband and wife.  And a love story for the ages.  So pour yourself something pink and let's celebrate Queensentines! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/qotrt/message

⭐ My guest today is Matt Ellis, CEO of Measurabl. Measurabl is the ESG platform built for real estate to measure, manage, disclose, and act on ESG data. Their 200+ employees serve clients representing 17 billion square feet of real estate and $2T of value in 93 countries. Matt is the former Director of Sustainability Solutions at CBRE, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in commercial real estate services and investments with around 3 billion square feet under management. His new book is: From Green to ESG: How Data-Driven Transparency Changed Real Estate for Good. ---

Hey there, it's Matt Shields, founder of Invest in Square Feet, and today we're debunking a myth that holds many potential investors back: the belief that it's too late to start investing in real estate. Join me as we kill this misconception and unveil the  opportunities still available in today's market. I'll share my own journey of overcoming doubts and entering the real estate world, proving that age and timing are far less important than strategy and adaptability. From leveraging emerging markets to understanding modern financing options, we'll explore actionable steps for starting your real estate investment journey, no matter where you are in life. But that's not all – I'll also guide you through common pitfalls to avoid and essential strategies to embrace, ensuring your success as you embark on this lucrative venture. And for those eager to dive deeper, I'll reveal the invaluable benefits of joining a real estate investment community, where mentorship, networking, and shared experiences await. So if you've ever felt like you've missed the boat on real estate investment, think again. Tune in to learn why it's never too late to seize the wealth-building opportunities that real estate has to offer. Let's shatter the myth together and pave the way to your financial freedom.      

When music journalist Myles Clarkson visits ailing piano virtuoso Duncan Ely at his palatial California home, ostensibly to interview the man, Duncan notices something distinct about Myles:  his hands – they're beautiful, the bone structure perfect for a concert pianist.  Myles, it turns out, is a Juilliard-trained musician whose career tanked after receiving some bad reviews.  Taking an interest in Myles, Duncan introduces him to his artist daughter Roxanne. Soon Myles has entered the pianist's inner circle, much to the chagrin of Myles' wife, Paula, who feels more than a tinge of jealousy at the attention being paid to her husband.  But things are about to take a turn for the uncanny.  Roxanne casts a plaster life mask of Myles, and with Duncan on his way out, Myles donates blood to help him.  While Myles is asleep, something happens, and when he awakes, he's changed.  It's almost as if he's someone else. His urge to live, to love, to play music, is revived, leaving Paula to wonder:  just what, or who, is inhabiting the body of the man she loves? Intro, Debate Society, Hot for Teacher (spoiler-free): 00:00-28:50Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 28:51-1:02:54Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 1:02:55-1:22:19 Director Paul WendkosScreenplay Ben Maddow, based on the novel by Fred Mustard StewartFeaturing Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset, Bradford Dillman, Pamelyn Ferdin, Curt Jurgens, Barbara Parkins, Kathleen Widdoes, William Windom David Cote is a playwright, opera librettist, and critic based in New York. His operas include Lucidity – which will be produced by On Site Opera in New York and Seattle Opera in fall 2024, Blind Injustice, which premiered at Cincinnati Opera and will be presented at Peak Performances at Montclair State University February 16 & 18. Other operas include Three Way at Nashville Opera and BAM; The Scarlet Ibis for the Prototype Festival; and 600 Square Feet with Cleveland Opera Theater. His plays include The Müch, Saint Joe, and Otherland. David wrote lyrics for Nkeiru Okoye's Black Lives Matter monodrama, Invitation to a Die-In and the dating-app song cycles In Real Life, composed by Robert Paterson. David's TV and theater coverage appears in The A.V. Club, Observer, 4 Columns, and American Theatre. He was the longest serving theater editor and chief drama critic of Time Out New York. He's also the author of popular companion books about the Broadway hits Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Spring Awakening, Jersey Boys, and Wicked. Our theme music is by Sir Cubworth, with embellishments by Edward Elgar.  Music from The Mephisto Waltz by Jerry Goldsmith. For more information on this film (including why the Professor chose it, on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), the pod, essays from your hosts, and other assorted bric-a-brac, visit our website, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠scareupod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe to this podcast via Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star rating. Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ group. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Are you holding back from real estate investing because you believe it requires a hefty initial investment? You're not alone. In this enlightening episode of "Invest in Square Feet," host Matt Shields debunks the myth that you need substantial capital to kickstart your real estate journey. Drawing from personal experience, Matt shares how he, once an electrical apprentice with limited funds, found his way into the real estate market by adopting creative strategies and smart investments. His journey from a mindset that viewed real estate as solely for the wealthy elite to one that champions savvy tactics reveals the accessibility of real estate investing today. Discover actionable insights as Matt breaks down six methods for launching your real estate venture with limited capital. From house hacking and real estate crowdfunding to FHA loans and partnerships, there are paths for everyone. He emphasizes the importance of education, mentorship, and understanding your starting capital. But that's not all; Matt invites you to explore the exclusive benefits and opportunities offered by the Invest in Square Feet community, especially if you have around $100,000 to invest. Joining this community opens doors to real-time investment opportunities, exclusive deals, networking, mentorship, and advanced resources—all designed to empower your journey toward financial freedom through real estate. Real estate investment is not just reserved for the wealthy. Tune in to this episode and learn how to break down the barriers and open the doors to your own path to financial success.

On today's show we are talking about commercial real estate and office in particular.  The main stream media remain fixated on reporting the averages. They are focused on the bigger macro picture. For example last week the Wall Street Journal published a story all about the commercial debt that is scheduled to mature over the next few years.  More than $2.2 trillion in debt is maturing before 2028, and much of that will have to be refinanced at higher rates. But it's actually missing the larger underlying problem. When you layer the two problems together, its hard to see a path to success for most office buildings.  Last week I was in NYC and met with some senior folks from JLL. NYC has now over 100M square feet of vacant office space.  There are only 7 cities in the US having more than 100M square feet of office. NYC has more than 100M SF of vacant office space. ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Known nationally and internationally as the woman who lived in one of the world's smallest apartments, Felice Cohen is the award-winning author of the bestselling books Half In: A Coming-of-Age Memoir of Forbidden Love, 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet (...or More) (inspired by the YouTube video of her tiny NYC studio with over 25 million views) and What Papa Told Me, about her grandfather's life before, during and after the Holocaust. Felice has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC, CBS, NPR, Time, Globe & Mail, New York Daily News, the Daily Mail and more. She speaks around the country leading memoir workshops, talking about how living tiny made her life larger as well as offering tips on organizing and decluttering, and about writing a book with her grandfather. The QWERTY podcast is brought to you by the book The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life. Read it, and begin your own journey to writing what you know. To learn more, join The Memoir Project free newsletter list and keep up to date on all our free webinars and instructive posts and online classes, as well as our talented, available memoir editors and memoir coaches, podcast guests and more.

A massive factory believed to have links to military production was destroyed in a fire deep inside Russia. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What did you husband think about downsizing your house by 2,000 square feet? Does your husband practice minimalism and decluttering? I get asked so often about how my minimalist journey and downsizing our house affected my marriage. That's why, today, for episode 100, I thought I would interview my husband, Tom. Listen in on our honest chat about keeping up with the Joneses, moving into a smaller house, decluttering and organization, and what our plans are for the future. Savings Guide: https://www.reneebenes.com/save Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renee.benes/ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@renee.benes/ My Guides: https://thefunsizedlife.ck.page/ce4911bb4a My Courses: https://www.reneebenes.com/store

Matt Shields is an electrician, a serial entrepreneur, and a multifamily real estate investor, owning and operating a portfolio of 700 apartment units in 3 states. Learn More About Matt Here: Invest In Sqft - https://investinsqft.com/ Significan Lifestyle Communities - https://significanlc.com/ Connect with the Global Investors Show, Charles Carillo and Harborside Partners: ◾ Setup a FREE 30 Minute Strategy Call with Charles: http://ScheduleCharles.com ◾ Learn How To Invest In Real Estate: https://www.SyndicationSuperstars.com/  ◾ FREE Passive Investing Guide: http://www.HSPguide.com ◾ Join Our Weekly Email Newsletter: http://www.HSPsignup.com ◾ Passively Invest in Real Estate: http://www.InvestHSP.com ◾ Global Investors Web Page: http://GlobalInvestorsPodcast.com/

Ep. 44 – RX Group Vice President Sarin Bachmann: Taking Luxe to the Next Level RX Group VP Sarin Bachmann shares her experience as a member of senior leadership team at RX, a public company that produces more than 400 events covering 43 sectors in 22 countries. She shines a light on the RX jewelry portfolio that she oversees — one of the few at RX that includes several events like JCK, Luxury and JIS, as well as digital and print media products for the JCK brand — JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine. We talked about: Her recent appearance as a speaker on the stage at the recent UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas where she talked about risk management and her experience with events during hurricane season in Miami, home of JIS How her team was able to achieve an impressive 24% increase in attendance at the JIS Fall Show in October in Miami Beach: Marketing the destination and capitalizing on the bleisure trend Bringing back in person: How she led the team that produced the first show for RX US in March 2021 in the jewelry sector that soared during Covid What's hot in digital in her portfolio: Everything, but especially the launch of a holiday gift guide The theme for the 2024 JCK show at the Venetian in Las Vegas: Love … she revealed What she's looking forward to in 2024: Adding a sustainability summit at JCK, which is on pace to sell out again  Giving back to the industry through the JCK Industry Fund, which has awarded more than $300,000 in grants this year  Our Guest Sarin Block Bachmann, Group Vice President of RX, is a member of RX's Senior Leadership Team and oversees RX's jewelry portfolio including JCK, Luxury, and JIS events along with the digital and print elements of the JCK brand—JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine.  One of RX's largest and most important events globally, JCK has thrived under Bachmann's leadership. Bachmann directly manages JCK while overseeing Event Leaders on both Luxury and JIS and has steered JCK to become an industry leading, award-winning event in the trade show industry, and the most important jewelry buying and educational event globally for the jewelry industry. Luxury, the curated, invitation-only event taking place alongside JCK has also been reimagined under Bachmann's portfolio as the event for the luxury jewelry community.  JCK and Luxury bring over 30,000 industry professionals together, including 18,000+ vetted attendees from over 100 countries and 2,000 exhibitors, ranging from designers, manufacturers, and gemstone wholesalers to packaging companies and technology service providers. The show covers 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space at the iconic Venetian Expo and The Venetian Las Vegas.  Under her leadership in event strategy, planning, execution, sales, attendance, acquisition, marketing, public relations, operations and special events, Bachmann has achieved all-time high ratings for both exhibitor and attendee satisfaction, loyalty and net promotion for both JCK and Luxury, increasing scores between 15 to 20% and over 30 points in NPS overall.  Furthermore, under her strategic and creative direction, JCK has led the way in becoming a top experiential event that attendees not only consider necessary for their business but also eagerly anticipate attending. In the digital realm, Bachmann led the team in bringing JCK to the industry virtually in 2020, with the JCK Virtual show being a pioneer in launching digital offers in light of the pandemic limiting face-to-face events. In March of 2021, Bachmann led the team to bring back the first show for RX US, JIS, and continued to forge the team ahead in bringing back in-person JCK and Luxury events in August as some of the first large scale trade shows returning to face-to-face, all to great success.  New to Bachmann's achievements are leading the JCK team in exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 show levels before most shows, in both sales revenue, attendance, and much higher NPS and customer satisfaction scores, with the 2022 edition marking a milestone year in the event's history and winning Trade Show Executives Gold 100 “Greatest Trade Show” of the year award. This was then followed up under Bachmann's leadership with the 2023 edition continuing to grow to a sold out show floor and increasing attendance once again. As a member of RX's senior leadership team, Bachmann plays a critical role in shaping event leaders across RX US, leading bi-monthly Event Leader meetings where key issues are discussed and best practices are shared across the division leaders.  Bachmann also leads the way with activations and experiences, playing a crucial part of JCK and serving as a model for other B2B events, along with increasing the focus on DE&I in all the industries she serves forging partnerships with key members of diverse groups including the Black in Jewelry Coalition and leading by example at her shows and RX.  Bachmann utilizes her experience in change management by serving as the Executive Sponsor and liaison for the show teams with the digital team during RX's roll out of a new registration system across RX US. Bachmann currently serves on the executive boards of the American Gem Society, Jewelers' Security Alliance, 24 Karat Club of New York, Women's Jewelry Association and UFI Global Congress Advisory, as well as on the GEM Awards committee and chair of the JCK Industry Fund committee.  Ms. Bachmann holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Albany and the prestigious honor of having been invited to participate in the GE Management Development Course. She was also one of a select few to be chosen for the Reed Elsevier Business University.  Her career trajectory began in consulting as a Process Design Consultant with Andersen Consulting (Accenture). She expanded into communications as a Six Sigma certified Master Black Belt for General Electric at NBC and later became the Director of E-Business for NBC's Broadcast and Network Operations Division.  Now serving close to two decades in show management, Bachmann is a well-rounded and well-known professional, highly regarded throughout the jewelry and trade show industries. When she is not achieving record breaking results in the industry, Bachmann is spending time with her husband, visiting her two sons in college, taking a workout class, or relaxing on a beautiful beach. Awards & Accolades for JCK and Luxury under Bachmann's Leadership (Present – 2019): Trade Show Executive – 2023 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Greatest Trade Show” of 2022  RX GLOBAL – Building Business Awards: 2022 Show of the Year  RX USA – Team of the Year Award 2022 Trade Show Executive – 2022 Fastest 50 in all three categories for JCK – Attendance, Exhibitors, Square Feet, and all three shows JCK, Luxury & JIS receiving Fastest 50 Awards AEO Excellence Awards (UK) Short List Finalist for 2022 Best International Show – Americas  Trade Show Executive – 2022 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Show Must Go On” for 2021 event Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) 2022 Comeback Award, Outstanding Attendance for 2021 event Trade Show Executive – Grand Award Gold 100 “Return to Normal” for 2020 event Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) Best of Technology Award for JCK Match program 2019 Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen  An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Content for Tarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa for $940 million. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibit News Now. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries. Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few. Thank you to our sponsor!  Zenus What if you could prove your event is working with hard facts and learn how to make it even better? With Zenus's Ethical Vision AI, you can protect your budget and have detailed reporting. Learn how that's all possible at Zenus.AI  

AP correspondent Julie Walker reports on Trump Fraud Lawsuit

Embracing a positive mindset isn't just a choice; it's a fundamental step toward a fulfilling and successful life! In this inspiring episode, Matthey Shields opens up about the transformative power of positivity sparked by the personal loss of his father. Matt shares insightful strategies for overcoming adversities, focusing on self-growth, and deliberately choosing positive influences. His journey invites listeners to reflect, embrace positive changes, and explore enriching content, serving as a beacon for those seeking fulfillment and resilience. Explore more insights with Matt on "Invest in Square Feet"!   [00:00 - 05:44] Transformative Positivity: Overcoming Tragedy, Fostering Resilience, and Embracing Growth Matthew Shields shares how his father's tragic loss transformed his previously reserved personality, highlighting the power of positive thinking Matt underscores the value of focusing on the positives in every situation to foster personal growth and resilience, drawing on his own experiences of loss and failure Matt and Suja advocate for the conscious effort to combat inherent negative thinking, emphasizing proactive approaches to life's challenges and a focus on positive outcomes   [05:44 - 09:04] Mindset, Self-Improvement, and Nurturing a Positive Environment Matthew Shields emphasizes creating a positive environment by deliberately avoiding negative media and focusing on constructive content Matt values self-help resources that simplify complex topics and recommends books like "Never Split the Difference" He invites listeners to engage with his podcast "Invest in Square Feet" and connect on LinkedIn   Connect with Matthew:  Linkedin, Instagram and X, visit the website: https://www.investinsqft.com/, Or listen to his Podcast   Key Quotes:  "Focus on the positives no matter how bad or tragic the situation might be because it will help propel you moving forward as you progress through the rest of your life." - Matthew Shields "I realized life is too short to worry about what other people thought of me" - Matthew Shields   WANT TO LEARN MORE? Connect with me through LinkedIn Or send me an email sujata@luxe-cap.com Visit my website www.luxe-cap.com or my YouTube channel Thanks for tuning in!

8/1/23: What is the square feet of your lawn??@gethelpdad     gethelpdad@gmail.com.This is podcast #348Get Help Dad Podcast with Bad jokes and life tips.FYI: You are a great parent!!You can send in your own parenting advice, Dad topics, tell us where you are listening from or lawn care advice to gethelpdad@gmail.com.  We are excited to hear from you.  Please let us know your Name, City/Country you are from.  [PROMO] Check out the author's "personal" best selling book Alone and Unafraid: An Alaskan Dad's guide to watching the kid while the wife is on a long trip.  (in the link below) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1072287757/

Can you do more than one thing? Of course you can, even if you are a man! My guest today is a true entrepreneur - with a technology company, multiple real estate investments, and his own podcast. In just a few minutes, you will meet Matt Shields and I think you'll want to hear his story. Matt has always had a passion for innovation and transformation. Over the past 14+ years, he's been on a one-man quest to revolutionize the way businesses operate by implementing cutting- edge software solutions and digital transformation processes. This led to the creation of Virtus Technology - a company dedicated to helping businesses grow and thrive through innovative technology and expert guidance. With his expertise, Matt has been able to help countless businesses increase their impact and streamline their operations. He's worked with tech startups, mom-and-pop shops, healthcare providers, and real estate moguls - and he's always focused on making a positive impact on the lives of their employees, customers, and stakeholders. But Matt's vision and passion go beyond just helping businesses. He's also a multi-faceted entrepreneur with a big vision for helping people. Through his multifamily real estate investing business and various mastermind event programs, he's bringing together like-minded individuals who share his vision and passion for making a difference. Whether you're a business owner looking to increase your impact, an investor with a desire to make a difference, or someone looking to learn from an expert in digital transformation processes, Matt Shields is the partner you need. With his knowledge, experience, and passion, he can help you transform your business and make a lasting impact on the world.

On this episode of REI Mastermind Network, host Jack Hoss welcomes guest Alex Jarbo to discuss the profitability and strategies behind building and investing in short-term rental properties. Alex shares their journey from exploring various asset classes to settling on real estate as a means of forced appreciation and long-term wealth potential. They dive into the specifics of building frame cabins, the average cost and profitability, and the importance of selecting the right general contractor (GC) and vetting them thoroughly. Alex emphasizes the significance of mentors in their success and offers practical tips on marketing and guest experience optimization. They also touch on the challenges faced during COVID and plans for expanding their real estate investments. This is a must-listen episode for anyone interested in the short-term rental market and looking for valuable insights from an experienced investor. Tune in for all this and more on REI Mastermind Network.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn your life around completely? In this extraordinary episode, our host, Matt Shields, takes you on a riveting journey from the confines of a cargo van to the heights of a real estate empire spanning hundreds of apartments across the country. Prepare to be inspired as Matt fearlessly shares his personal story, unraveling the transformative moments that propelled him beyond the limitations of his circumstances. Through tales of resilience, determination, and unwavering belief in the power of possibility, Matt's incredible journey will challenge you to ask yourself: What's holding you back? Join us as we delve deep into the triumphs, setbacks, and pivotal decisions that defined Matt's path to success. Discover the secrets behind his rise from living on wheels to becoming a prominent figure in the real estate industry. This gripping episode will ignite your own dreams and leave you with a newfound belief in the infinite potential within you. Don't miss out on this thought-provoking episode that will empower you to break free from the shackles of doubt and embrace the boundless opportunities that await. It's time to unleash your own potential and embark on the path to greatness. The power to transform your life is within your reach - tune in now and let Matt's remarkable journey be the catalyst for your own incredible story. Today on Invest in Square Feet, we have a special episode. We've received many comments, wanting to know more about my background and how I got to where I am today. So today I have Troy, who is a recent guest on the Invest in Square Feet Podcast, interview me about some of my upbringings and the way that I look at certain situations. We all have events that shape and mold our responses and our reactions to things, and I get pretty deep into some of the personal experiences that I've gone through, some of the hardships that I've gone through in my life. My goal with all of this is to be more open and more transparent with all of our listeners so that you guys can know me a little bit better and understand where I might be coming from, from specific events or happenings that I might have gone through in my own life.  On Invest in Square Feet, we unlock the secrets of wealthy entrepreneurship. I'm Matt Shields and my mission is to help business owners protect and grow their business so that they can invest. Passively into multi-family real estate. So today's gonna be a little bit different as the intro had described before. I'm going to be interviewed today and tell a little bit about my story and the reason why I wanted to do this. So that everyone can understand that we all go through setbacks and struggles. I reveal some of the things that I've gone through, some of the low points in my life to where I am today, how I sprung back from those situations, and literally today I own multimillion dollars worth of real estate. I hope this inspires you and I hope that it connects you a little bit more with my story. And what I've been able to accomplish, and I look forward to having you reach out, and I'd love to be able to help you take your business to the next level so that you can also do the same thing, and also invest in multi-million dollars worth of real estate.  I love, the mindset of referring to these ebbs and flows of life, as,  seasons right? So many people get so bogged down into my life is falling apart. Things aren't going well. And, that's not the way that life is always going to be. You know, you're going through a season, maybe it lasts six months, four months, a year, you know, things will get better and you have to recognize that it's a learning opportunity and it's a learning opportunity to be able to really spring yourself forward because now you know what not to do, right? You've already, you've already made it to that part, part where you feel like you failed or what have you. So, um, we all go through it and you just have to, to have the perseverance to keep on, keep on going.  It gives me chills because, you know, Matt, when you think about it, when people think, you know, is it, why is everything getting worse and or why is this happening to me, the good news is, is if you pay attention and get recalibrated, you can actually realize that there is a winter coming up. There's gonna be a time where we can sit back a little bit. We don't have to get out there and cut that grass right away, if you will, and you know, we're gonna ha we're gonna have a little bit of snow and, and it's some time to recalibrate and then get ready to spring back out. Um, like what you call it, seasons. I like that. Tell me a little bit about you today, Matt, describe yourself today. If you were to look at yourself in, in maybe three areas, if we could. I'd like to talk about. Um, I'd like to talk about your relationships. Um, I'd like to talk about, about your wealth. I'd also like to talk about health, um, maybe mentally and physically and taking a look where we are today, but then also, you know, I'd like to then after go back and talk about was it always like that and, you know, and how did we get up to this point, kind of working in reverse I have a, a number of different companies and a number of different focuses. I have a technology company and we build custom software, custom apps for many businesses. , one business has sold more than, uh, a hundred million dollars using, uh, our apps, uh, so that they're on the, the sales side of things. So it. We have a great understanding of what drives people and what, where the, where the blockers are, where the issues are that. A lot of people may not necessarily see, right? So technology company, um, is doing well and a number of years, probably about five years ago or so, I started getting involved in large multi-family real estate.  We've got about 780, uh, units, uh, under management right now. Uh, and to a company, those, those assets. We also have our own property management company and our own construction company to be able to, to feed and work off of one another. Um, and then I also have a podcast. That is in the top 3% of all podcasts, uh, out there. So that's, that's in a nutshell, that's what I'm doing today. It's a great journey and, and I'm learning every day as well. And I think that that's, that's one of the keys, like we said before, there's always seasons, there's always things that are not going to go the way that you had planned. But if you have this perspective where you are always open to earn, uh, to, to learning and to bettering yourself and, and approaching things from a positive perspective, no matter how bad they may seem, um, It's gonna serve you well, right? And again, we're all gonna go through things. We're all gonna lose things. We're all going to have the days that aren't going to go the way that we planned. But at the end of the day, you know, keeping that positive perspective is really key for what, what I found. Um, and again, i, I app approach that with pretty well everything in my life. Um, relationships, I always look at the positive side of things. Uh, I choose. Not to have assholes in my life. Like if I don't get along with you, then you know, I'm, I don't keep banging my head against the wall trying to, you know, make things work. I prefer to have positive people and people that are, um, you know, out there doing things that motivate them and drive them. So that's the type of people that I like to surround myself with because then that, that just feeds my energy and that motivates me as well. I wanna do better. I want to be able to keep up with them or beat them or whatever it is, right? So, so that's how I approach. Pretty well ev every relationship, um, you know, that I, that I have. Um, and then from the, the fitness side of things, again, always learning. Uh, but I've, I, I feel like I've pretty well always been in, you know, pretty good shape. Um, I, I'm, I'm pretty active ski play volleyball a lot. Um, you know, we used to run a lot more when my knees were a little bit better, but, uh, yeah, I feel like health has kind of always been one of those things that I've, I've been pretty lucky with, I guess you can say. Uh, and, and interestingly enough, one thing on the health side of things, I don't go to the doctor at all. I, I don't take aspirin. I don't take medication. Um, I believe in healing myself naturally and. Um, you know, with the foods that I eat and, and, you know, I don't take cough medicine. I don't do any of that stuff. So, um, that's the way that I've pretty well always been. And I, and at the same time, I don't eat any type of fast food or anything, don't drink pop. Um, it's probably been 25 years since I've had a sip of any type of pop. So, um, again, it's just, just my lifestyle. It's the way that I have chosen to live so, It did. It's, uh, it, I I would believe that, um, having those areas balanced like that today would be a dream come true. Would I, would I say that that would be an accurate statement?   It's interesting that you say that and. I don't, I'm not one to brag at all. To me, I feel like I haven't even started yet. I, I feel like the things I've done are normal. Um, And yet other people tell me all the time, like, oh my God, I can't believe that you did that. How did you do that? That's, that's incredible. That's amazing. But to me it's just, it's just, it's life. Right? So I, I think the goal with all of this is be is, is to bring other people into this way of thinking where. You know, again, you're gonna have your ups and downs. Don't let it, don't let it destroy your life. And I've, I've gone through that situation as well in my own life. Everything hasn't been, you know, peaches and roses this entire time. Right. I've, I've had my share of struggles, which we can get into that in a few minutes as well. Um, but it, it showed me when, you know, when I was at rock bottom. Yeah, it's, life isn't that bad, right? Like, this isn't anything to like, oh my God, I can't, I can never, I can never do this. I don't wanna do that again. But I've learned from it, but I lived through it and everyone is so afraid of loss and so afraid of what everyone is gonna think about me. And I have to put on this, this persona of, you know, nothing is wrong and I'm, uh, you know, I'm an expert on, on everything. Right? Um, Once you lose all of that, you realize that it really isn't that bad, you know, to, to lose things. And it's, it's, it would be worse if you have something in your life that you want to do and you never do it. That to me is, you know, is the true failure. That's the true loss that you never, you never had the ability or the the drive to actually accomplish it. So, you know, if you. If you go through things and you fail, at least you tried, right? And you've learned from that. And then use those learnings to be able to try something else or try it differently. And that's what I feel like this whole thing is all about. That's what I want to be able to get, you know, through to people to help them through those issues. Help them through those blockers. Get out and do whatever the thing is that you're, you've been wanting to do. Um, don't worry about the failure. You're going to fail. It's part of life. Expect it and learn from it and then, you know, get up and do it differently. Do it better the next time. I  love that. Thank you. Matt. If we looked back at, you know, le let's, let's go back quite a ways. Let's go back into when you were, I'm gonna call you the inspiring entrepreneur, a time when, if you could describe to us, You know, what was it like to, you know, get your first business license and, you know, what was your thoughts, what were you gonna accomplish? Not looking at maybe so much as where we are today, but, you know, you were a young man, an electrician, I believe if, if I remember right. And, and, uh, tell us a little bit about that first business. What did it feel like to, to be a part of that, um, time of your life?   I'll even bring it back a little bit further than that. Growing up, my, my dad was an entrepreneur, right? Uh, he had this line of country craft type decorations that he would make in our house. So he had all kinds of tools and he'd, you know, Woodworking and all of that. And they had some pretty decent accounts, like JC Penney's was one of their accounts that they had. And as a kid, I can remember going to the local JC Penney's and, and they would set up  my dad and my mom would set up the displays with all their products in JC Penney's. And that's, that's kind of what I thought life was like. Like that was not. Not a big deal to me. Now I look at, look back on and I'm like, that really was something different. So growing up I always had this idea of, you know, doing things to make money. I remember I, I would, you know, buy antiques and, you know, kind of fix them a little bit. I remember there was a sewing machine, like one of the pedal sewing machines that. Was broken and, and I, I figured out how to fix the pedal thing and then resold it and, you know, made some money. So I was always doing those types of things. But, uh, so out of, out of high school, I didn't go to college, but I joined an electoral contracting company. Um, I. Which interestingly enough, the reason why I joined an electrical contracting company was because I wanted to buy houses and fix them up and sell them at the time, and electrical was sort of the area that I didn't really know all that terribly much about. So, uh, when I was out of high school, I joined the electrical contracting company, which like was about a five year program or so, and as soon as I had enough hours in the industry and I passed the electrical or the, the apprenticeship program, I took the state license and got my state certification and started my own electro contracting company. So I was. 22, something like that, 22, 23 maybe. Um, at the time, and that was the last time that I ever had a, you know, a true W2 type position. Um, you know, I haven't worked for another boss since then. Um, and again, people look at that and they're like, what? You know, you were so old and or so young and  you acted so, so old with. You know, the decisions that you were making, right? That's the way that I always have been. I've always, I've always gone out and wanted to be able to better myself. Um, I can, I can remember as a teenager, I was reading all of the, you know, the Rich Dad, poor Dads, and, you know, all of those types of books that were exposed at the time to better yourself. That was, that was who I was. I always wanted to, again, better myself, make, uh, Make a living doing the things that I felt that, that were worth doing.  That. I love that. And Matt, it sounds like to me that you're somebody who maybe doesn't live with inspiration, but with ownership of the type of life that you want. You don't grow to it. You, you just simply live it.  That's something that  I've always believed in. Um, I also will say that I've always had the, , the make it happen type mentality, right? I can remember being very, very young, , I started putting roofs on houses when I was 11 years old. Uh, I, I had, uh, I guess he was an uncle who was in the building trades and. 13, 14, 15. I was the one who was hauling everything back and forth on the job sites. And they're like, you know, people don't work like this. People don't, you know, I can't even tell you the last time that I had, uh, especially a younger person, do as much work as what you do. And that's just the way that I've always been. I, I, I get to work and I make things happen. And I feel like when you have that type of mindset to just go after it and, and get whatever it is done. You're going to be successful. And I still live my life, even on small things. Like, you know, I get up at six o'clock every morning, no alarm or anything, you know, I'm watering the plants, I'm cleaning the house. You know, I, I don't, I don't sit around, I don't lay in bed and, you know, think about getting up or I don't grab the phone and start. Scrolling through things, you know, I get up and, you know, start, start producing, start learning, start whatever it is that I'm doing. That's, that's always been my personality. So,  Matt, let's take a look for the, the entrepreneur  whether they're in, in trades or they are in, um, you know, in medical profession, real estate. You know, what ha, what have you. There's an entrepreneur, um, everywhere that is, is listening to us and saying, um, you know, Yeah, you know, I've had a dream. I've wanted to do things, but I'm also scared of failure and what does that really feel like and look like? And I think a lot of people are scared to talk about the failures. They, they look at it as a place of, uh, you know, either that, you know, a lot of pain, um, you know, or a place they grew from, but, When I listen to you talk, and in, in the past you've talked about, you know, having some bumps as part of the journey that was actually quite enjoyable and allowed you to go through a different season and, and shift and pivot. And instead of allowing it to seem like, uh, the, the dissolution of, or, you know, or sort of the, I guess, the, uh, The teardown of your, your life or your business. You looked at it as a, as, as a way of just adapting and, and keep moving on cuz you had the big picture in mind. Could you tell me a little bit about, you know, what, what does failure, um, or the, what people would perceive as a failure for you? When I was 16, my father, my father passed away. He actually drowned in Cape Hatteras. So obviously this was a complete shock to the family. And at the time, prior to that, I was, I was very, very quiet, very shy, very reserved, always worried what people thought about me. And that really brought me out of my shell, right? I, I realized how short life was and living that way, you know, under putting so much stress on myself because of what I was perceiving everyone else to think of me. Um, I. Was not serving me well at all. So I was, you know, 17 and realized, you know what, when I, when I express myself and when I show people my thoughts and ex tell people the what I'm thinking, everyone started to gravitate toward me and I started to really enjoy life, right? So I look back on that situation and. I S I I, I would do anything to have my dad back, but I can absolutely say that that was one of the first dark times in my life that I realized. You know, let's look at this from the positive. And that's what I, that's what I take away from it now, that that event really brought me out of that, out of my shell, right? So we had talked about the, you know, the next couple years I started my own electoral contracting company, and that was doing well. Um, and one of the goals that my dad and I always had was to buy houses and fix them up. Rent them out, you know, sell them, kind of getting, getting into the real estate side of things. So when I started the electoral contracting company, I started to also buy the houses and, and work on that. And it worked really, really well because when the electoral contracting business was slow, I was able to send the, the guys, the team to the houses and, and we would work on the houses then. So as a great filler of projects, um, until 2008 happened, and this, this was in the Cleveland market and. In 2008, obviously there was a lot of, lot of turmoil in the, in the markets. Very much like what we're going through right now. And unfortunately I had a number of companies that owed me money on the El electrical contracting side of things, who went out of business, which then I was responsible for, you know, making all of those, all of those payments, which ended up putting my contracting company out of business as well. So at one point, You know, I had this, I had this decision of my mom lives in the area so I could go live, you know, on my mom's couch. Uh, or I could embrace this and, you know, Explore what the quote unquote rock bottom looks like. So I chose the rock bottom side of things and I had one of the, the cargo vans from the electoral contracting company that I put a cot in the back of of it and I went to Walmart or wherever and got the best sleeping bag that I could get, and I would spend the nights in hotel parking lots in the back of the van sleeping on this cot. And, you know, the, the thought process was that, If I go to a hotel parking lot, there's always all kinds of, um, you know, cars from all over the place there. So I wouldn't be bothered all night long or get towed or whatever. And then, uh, I, I had a gym membership, so six o'clock in the morning I'd wake up and go to the gym and do my workout and, uh, take a shower and then go on about my day, right? And throughout that entire process, I realized that I was working extremely hard. To buy things that I thought that I needed to, to have in order for other people to think that I was successful. So I, I, I, again, I learned from that. Rock bottom time that you don't need to do all of that. You don't need all of the fancy things. Like that's, that's just driving more, more use and more stress and you know, it's just a perpetual motion. The more you get, the more you need to make, the more you need to keep up with all this stuff. And the bigger house you have, the more grass you have to cut. All of that stuff. Just starts to hinder you after a while. So, um, so I, I, I got rid of all this stuff. I lost a lot of stuff and I was so much lighter and so much happier after that. And again, I realized that I went through this thing that everyone is afraid of going through. And I came out on the other side unscathed. Right? It's, it's not that big of a deal when you go through and you lose everything. Um, so since then, I, I pivoted the, the electoral contracting company into the technology company, um, which sounds like a large leap, but we had started doing energy management in 2005. Uh, so we were writing software and, and controlling building systems, H V A C systems, lighting systems, you know, before anyone was really doing that. So we had a little bit of, a little bit of background in software de development. So that's, that's where I took. Uh, the, the learnings from earlier in my life and moved forward with the technology company, which has morphed into what it is today. So what, what has been feedback from people like now today? Um, hearing that, that story so far, like what are, what, what's an aha moment that they're like, you know what, I did that too, or Maybe that's what I need to do. Have you had any circumstances like that where someone has said, you know, Matt, I thought you were crazy. So I went and I went and found a cot. I, I've, I'll say that most people are more reserved where they don't necessarily. Get into those types of conversations, but I do, I do tell that story with the hope that it does inspire people to go out and do things. And I, I just had a conversation a few days ago, and this, this happens a few times a week, I would say, where, you know, people say, you know, I was talking to you and I realized I was thinking too small. So I, I, now this is what the new goal is, right? Or this is where I'm, this is where I'm going. So, M my goal again is to be able to inspire people to be able to, if take that step, whatever it is that you are afraid of. Or if you've already taken that step and you think that your goal is here, maybe your goal needs to be up here and go after that bigger goal, right? And once you achieve that bigger goal, then there's something above that, right? So don't limit yourself to mediocre. To the normal way of life, quote unquote, normal way of life. Just because you're afraid of something or you're afraid of what people are going to perceive of you if you, if you  fail. Um, that's, that's sort of my whole message is just let's, let's get everyone inspired. Let's join together and, and. We can all learn from each other. And I'm, I'm not saying I'm the, the master expert of anything. I'm always open to new ways of doing things and new thought processes and uh, new introductions and, you know, I'm learning from people every day. Matt. If, if we'd looked at when that time could have been low, there's gonna be people going through recession here, maybe as they're listening today or sometime in the future. And then oh eight will come back at some point for somebody. And that might not be on a global scale. It might be just for you and your own economy or your city community. Um, maybe just in your own mindset. Would you say that the re one thing that got you through that was, were you more aware  of the fact that you were at rock bottom and you sulked, or would you say you were more aware that you had a bigger goal in mind to get you up to. You know, a thousand plus, you know, um, doors to, to own or, or, you know, technology companies. Or maybe you didn't have that exact vision yet, but could you, if you were telling somebody today that says, you know what, I, everything's terrible. I've got a mound of bills. My marriage is on the rocks. My kids aren't talking to me. I spend less than four hours a week with anybody in my family.  What was the big picture that you could say to somebody is just to stop and think about differently today?  So I can remember when I was going through that time that I, I purposely wanted to feel what that felt like. To, you know, be at rock bottom because I feel like before that, again, I was always worried about the material things, the material possessions, and I wanted to break myself of that, of that thought process. And I felt like going through this where I didn't have anything, I knew what it was like to have all of this stuff. I, I lived in a 5,000 square foot house by my, by myself. Um, So I, I had all of the things that people consider as being successful, but I didn't like, I didn't like the feeling of. What that was doing. I didn't like the, the feeling even of people that I was hanging out with at the time. Again, people would look at me and sort of, I don't wanna say use me for my money, but, you know, wanna hang out with me because it seemed like I had a lot. Right. So I wanted to completely separate, separate myself, and completely break myself from that entire thought process that, that sort of internal presentation of what I felt like I had to do. And for me, going the path that I went, I felt was the best way to be able to break myself of that to, so that I didn't, I didn't portray that feeling anymore. I didn't portray that emotion of, I've gotta worry about. You know what people are gonna think of me. And it kind of goes back even to when I was a kid, right? Like I, I said, I was always very, very self-conscious and worried about what people thought of me. You know, fast forward 10, 15 years, I still was doing that, but I was, I was doing that with stuff and presenting myself as being, you know, somebody that was not authentic. So by, by breaking all of that and living through a completely different life, Um, I was able to separate myself from that. So I, I remember having that, that exact, that exact thought as I was living that. And I was never afraid, cuz I always knew that I had the skills or I had the ability to be able to do more. What I'm finding interesting with, with what you also said is as I went through my different seasons of ups and downs, whether that be my mental, physical relationships, wealth, all of those things, I'm realizing that, you know, having a, a person or a mentor who can actually see through all of that, very hard to come by. If I was to ask you, Matt, Would you be somebody who, who would, who could organize a group of people?   Like such as myself or my peers or other people at different levels, no matter what level they come at, and help them organize a way of chunking things down. A way of, you know, saying it's time for a new chapter. Right? Or it's time to get ready, you know, clean up the, the yard cuz the new season's coming and we need to, to recalibrate.  It's actually interesting that you, uh, mentioned this cuz this is exactly what we are looking to, to accomplish next, right? Um, our goal, and some people might be listening to this on the podcast or maybe you've heard of this, uh, somewhere else, but the podcast Invest in square Feet is all about. Wealthy entrepreneurship and our goal is to be able to take business owners and grow and protect their wealth so that they can invest passively into multi-family real estate. So our goal is to be able to work with other business owners. No matter where you're at, again, I'm, I'm saying business owners, but it could be people who are thinking about, you know, creating a business. Uh, and we'll, we'll have this group, this mastermind type, uh, facility where we'll pair you up with other people that, um, you know, are in a similar boat, but then also some people that are a little bit. Further, a little bit more advanced than what you are. So again, you're always going to, to keep growing through this, you're always going to have that, that direction, that guide to be able to, um, know what to expect at this, this certain level. And I, I'm, I. Like I said earlier, I'm not even at my capacity. I'm not finished yet, so I'm still always looking for additional people to be able to bring into my life to help me get to the next level. So I'm even going to use this, you know, for, to better myself. Um, and that's, that's the whole reason why I even started the podcast. Invest in square feet to bring entrepreneurs together, learn from other entrepreneurs. Uh, and now we've interviewed. Over 200, I think we're probably about 230 or so interviews at this point. So we've, we've interviewed all, all types of industries. Multimillionaires, zinc, 500 billionaires. We've, we've had everybody, uh, all walks of life and all types of. Um, advice and input from a lot of these people, which again, has shaped and helped me with the way that I think. And I want to be able to expose this from not only my own perspective, but again, bringing together everyone who, who is going through and, and, and experiencing these, these different things all at the same time. Um, you know, bring them together so that we can all grow together and learn from one another. And, um, Again, make, make our mark on this world, which again, ultimately is about, um, bettering, bettering the lives around us, bettering our worlds, whatever it is that we're, uh, that we're interested in  And a great way to think of all of your businesses, um, is that it's a vehicle to accomplish something else. So one of, one of the goals that I actually partnered with, uh, some other multi-family real estate investors is to eradicate dog EU in Asia, right? So I'm a, I'm a huge dog lover, and this is very early on, but our goal is to. Understand, you know, how the dogs got where they are today, what are the complications for getting them, um, you know, getting them adopted, you know, medicine, all of that type of stuff. Um, you know, we want to play a role in that and be able to make a huge impact into eradicating, uh, the dog euthanasia. So all of the stuff that I'm doing, all of the businesses that, that are being started and created, that's one of the end goals that I want to be able to use those vehicles to be able to, to impact. And I'm sure that the listeners have all kinds of. Um, opportunities, organizations that they're interested in as well, and using the business as a vehicle to be able to impact whatever those organizations are. That's, that's what this is all about.  Love that, Matt. , something maybe that's repeatable by you or, or by anyone else is, uh, listening is. To me, you get an opportunity today to decide on something. You can either take part in recession or you can decide not to take part in recession, You can look at whatever excuse you want to not growing, whether that's inflation or job loss, or you know, hard to find staff or you know, all kinds of things that are going on in the media today. Or you can decide to go after a mission.   That's exactly what this whole thing is all about.  This is my way of bringing people into my life who have, have goals and want to be able to better themselves.  Powerful things can happen when you have people. Connected who are on the same,  the same e energy wavelength. It's really, inspiring being able to be around people who are, who are making things happen. So that's what this whole thing is all about, and, and trying to cultivate that, that group of people to make that impact in the world.  All right, so there you have it. You know, I find it really interesting when you open up and talk about things that you've gone through in the past, and this could be good or bad, but a lot of people seem to gloss over the bad and they don't want to talk about it. But in my experience, I felt like when I embraced that quote unquote rock bottom, and now looking back on it, I. Talk about those types of things. I can absolutely recognize the transformations that I went through during that time period. And just like everything else in my life, I, I try to keep a positive attitude about everything. And I recognize that when I made those changes to embrace the rock bottom, it really did it more or less humbled me. Right. I was able to get away completely from the mindset of having to keep up with everyone else and having to have the best of everything right. So, Remember to embrace your rock bottom no matter what you're going through. If you feel like you are at rock bottom or you've hit a low point, make sure to embrace it and learn from it and evaluate what you're going through and thinking at that time and what you should be doing to move forward so that you don't have that happen to you again. That's one of the main things that I see people doing is they'll hit some type of rock bottom, they'll. Make some type of crash landing, but then they don't change anything. It's still the exact same routine. They might not be as disciplined as what they need to be, so don't do any of that. Right. One of the other main things that I've absolutely learned over the years is that you want to. You want to find someone who has already done whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish, whether that be an individual person or if that's joining a group, your learning curve is going to be so much shorter. That's what you want to do. You want to be able to find other people who. Ideally are doing it right now. You know it's best if you can find someone who is actively doing whatever it is that you want to do right now and then learn from them whether you have to hire them or they have some type of program or group or something like that. That's the type of situation you want, and be careful when you get into a situation where, Someone claims that they had done so many things in the past, but they're not doing that today. They might have had success at that point whenever that was in the past. But things change. The market changes. People change. And things that might have worked 10, 15, 20 years ago might not necessarily be as effective anymore. Or other people, the market have caught up to whatever they are or whatever that they did. Maybe the market is all doing that now and, and their unique selling proposition is no longer unique anymore today. So be very, very careful who you're taking your advice from. One of the other really powerful things that I like to do is, again, refer to these ups and downs, and everyone is going to have these ups and downs as seasons in my life, right? None of these things last all that terribly long, but we all have this propensity to look at the worst case scenario and look at. The sky is falling, and this is horrible, right? This is a season that's not going to last very long, right? Maybe it lasts six months, two months, three months, a few weeks, but we think that our lives are over. So don't get bogged down in that. You're going to make it through and refer to these both ups and downs as seasons in your life. And of course, as always, if you want to understand what the wealthy do, head over to invest in square feet and sign up for our newsletter. We're going to have other tips and tricks and things that our guests reveal to us that are only. Published on the newsletter, and we also are publishing the various different investment opportunities that we may have available as well on that newsletter we drop every Wednesday, and we are available on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.  

Brenden is going to take us into the art of public speaking and how it can help you achieve your desired outcomes! Do you want to create a lasting impact with your words and make a difference in people's lives? If so, then public speaking may be the answer you're looking for! In this episode, we'll delve into the system of becoming a great speaker or presenter and show you how to unlock your potential. We'll share practical tips and techniques to help you overcome your fear of public speaking and engage your audience like never before. From crafting persuasive messages to delivering them with confidence, we'll cover everything you need to know to become a master communicator. Our experts will guide you through the process of creating powerful presentations that resonate with your audience, leaving a lasting impression and achieving your desired outcomes. So if you're ready to take your public speaking skills to the next level and become a true influencer, tune in to our podcast and start unlocking your potential today! Links and Resources: Website: https://www.mastertalk.ca LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendenkumarasamy Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MasterTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masteryourtalk Twitter: https://twitter.com/masteryourtalks Wanted to just extend a little bit of gratitude today to all of our listeners. Thank you for tuning in to Invest in Square Feet. We put in a lot of effort, a lot of work into trying to put this together and answer people's questions that they might have. I was talking to one of our guests this week and he asked a little bit of information about our listeners, and I realized that I don't necessarily know all that terribly much about who you might be. So I wanted to extend an invitation to feel free to email us at matt.shields@investinsqft.com, that is invest sq ft.com. So it's the short form of square feet. When you email us, just let us know a little bit about you and what types of things you're interested in learning more about.  All right, and so on. Invest in square feet, we unlock the secrets of wealthy entrepreneurship. I'm Matt Shields and my goal is to help you and your business protect your wealth so that you can invest passively into multi-family real estate. Today we are going to be learning from Brenden Kumarasamy. One of the most important things about being an entrepreneur, the ability to be able to communicate effectively. Brenden has some amazing tips and strategies that we're going to go over here today. These are the exact same tips and strategies that high level. Entrepreneurs, CEOs and managers all use to be able to better their ability to communicate. So no matter if you're looking to be a better presenter, a better speaker, or just a better communicator to everyone in your life in general, these are going to be some tips and strategies that you're going to be able to use to easily perfect your ability to communicate. So with that, let's get onto the tips.  For sure Matt. Excellent question. So, so for me, just to paint the picture, I'm a 22 year old kid. I'm broke, I have a phone, I have no, that's it, to record videos. I don't have no experience editing videos. I actually didn't edit any videos for the first year of, of Master Truck. It wasn't a business. I never knew you could get paid to be a coach. And the reason is not because I'm some philanthropist. It's because IBM was paying me a lot of money to work there and I was going, oh my God, like this is my future. Well, I wasn't thinking Master Talk was going to be a business. I was thinking it was going to be a hobby because that, because at the end of the day, it's like, okay, I don't have time to coach these students anymore cuz I have to work a a 70 hour a week job and provide for my family. It's time for me to go into the real world. So I'm not, I'm just making videos to just support the next generation of students and I got a crooked left arm and I start making videos in my mom's basement. That's basically how Master Talk started. So at the beginning there was no traction, but the reason I got to a thousand subscribers really quickly was because of Goodwill. Since I'd coached 70 people from the ages of 19 to 20 to a business school and I was super involved in in my community in Montreal. Everyone knew about the channel, even if it was terrible because they knew about the, the coaching I had done, and they were like, oh, well if you're making free videos. So that's really the first piece of advice comes from, I made content to solve a problem. I never created master talk to make myself famous or something I had done far from it even today. But it was more from saying, Hey, like. This small community of 70 case competition, people need this content. So if the next 10 years is another group of 70 who joined the program, there's probably 700 people who are gonna watch my stuff. I just didn't expect it to be more. And then later in life, probably nine months into Master Talk, I got really lucky, Matt. I went to Columbus, Ohio for Summative Greatness, which is a, an event that Louis, hows a podcaster, hosts in his hometown. And I met my business partner there who's 20 years older than me, and he's the one who helped me turn this into a business. Talk a little bit about, you know, some of your, your techniques, your strategies that you feel a lot of people may not necessarily understand when they, when they're looking to, to be able to speak or present or, or anything like that. Like what's, what's some of your tips to be able to make better speakers?  For sure, Matt. You know, I think what was missing in the space largely falls under three categories, and then we'll get into the tips, simplicity, practicality, and generosity. When I started Master Talk, my thought at the time, obviously I don't, I didn't articulate it as well as I do now, but at the time it was okay. The tips aren't simple enough. Because a lot of PhDs are coaching on communication and the lingo is too complicated. The second one's practicality, like how do we make communication tangible? Let's say we wanna lose weight, which isn't the case for both of us. Let's use that as an analogy. The steps are pretty simple. Eat less food. Less junk food, less soft drinks exercise regularly. If you do that for two weeks, you'll probably lose one pound, like most likely. So when you weigh yourself on that scale and you see a one pound goes down, you, you, that creates momentum. You go, wow, this is working. And then you accelerate results. That little win, that burst of energy does not exist in the communication field or at the time it wasn't communicated well and generosity, just sharing the tips for free just to help people who can't afford a coach. Which is the aim. So for me, what this boiled down to is communication is like juggling 18 balls at the same time. One of those balls is body language, one of them eye context and facial expressions. So for me, the question has simply been what are the three easiest balls to juggle? So let's start with number one. Number one is the random word exercise. Pick a word like headset, like phone, like wall, like home, and create random presentations out of thin air. And this serves two main purposes, Matt. Number one is it helps you deal with uncertainty. Life is filled with it when you go to a networking event, when you meet new people. So if you can't deal with uncertainty, it's hard for you to make an impact. And the second piece that people can write down if they want is if you can make sense out of nonsense. You can make sense out of anything. So if you can take about avocados for 30 seconds, it's really easy for you to talk about your subject matter expertise when it's time. I, I, yeah. I  love that. I love that advice. And out of curiosity, have you ever taken any, um, like improv classes or anything like that? Uh, out of curiosity,  I've done some, I'm not professionally trained or anything. Yeah. But I've probably done maybe five or six sessions, but I've definitely an amateur.  Yeah. Yeah. And the reason why I ask, ask that is because, I got probably 10 years ago now for this too, 10 maybe, maybe longer ago than that. I, I also took an improve class for sales and very much so the same thing. And I'm curious what your perspective is on this. The, the way that the improv training works is essentially, um, We, we, as people get in our head too much, right? And we, we start trying to think through all of the sentences and everything and trying to talk about the, the next sentence that I'm, or thinking about the next sentence that I need to say, and it just slows everything down, right? Whereas with improv, It teaches you to get rid of all of that and just sort of go with your subconscious and just, just speak, just get the, get the stuff out there. Um, and it, it was the, the results were profound. They recorded us before and we just did, I don't remember what the presentation was, but just something on, you know, some, some short presentation and then they recorded us afterwards. And I think this was a week long presenta, or a week long seminar. Um, we, we did another recording afterwards and I mean, there were people that were bashful who, you know, weren't confident up there. Um, this completely opened them up and I'm, I'm curious from your perspective, um, you know, is that, is that, you know, part of it is, Getting out of your own mental way, if you will, right. Where, you know, again, you're a subject matter expert. You know, stop trying to think about every little thing that you need to say and just, you know, let your subconscious take over and, and, and say it. Is that, is that kind of part of this?  Absolutely. Matt and I, and I love the story that you told and, and great to see the transformation that people are going through and those facilitators are right. You know, at the end of the day, it's about really focusing on the system. The system of how to get better. So if I exercise every day, I'll naturally get healthier, but we just don't apply that same logic to communication. And what that one week training did is it forced people to do the reps. The only caveat I'll add to, to your share. Is the version that I like to teach is maybe people might be afraid to go to a seven day seminar unless they're really talented executives and those, those are usually the cases where they get placed into these corporate trainings. So those people already have a strong foundation. But the argument that behind what I'm building is 90% of people won't even go to a Toastmaster's meeting. They'll go like, oh my God, I don't want to attend the meeting, let alone speak. So for me it's about doing what you said, but the easier version first, which is the ranked and word express in my opinion. And the reason is because you don't really have to do it in front of every anybody. You could do it alone in your basement when nobody's watching. Nobody's listening to you. And it's very easy to get the momentum started. So in the example you gave, it might take five to seven days for people to get results, but with a random word exercise, it could take as little as 60 minutes if you're really intense about it. If you do the random word exercise like 40 times in an hour, in the second hour, you'll go, wow, this is really easy. And then you'll start to apply that logic and communication mastery in general. Yeah. Yeah.  This reminds me, your random word reminds me of. Uh, another game that we played at that seminar was called Ding. And you had, you know, one of those little countertop, you know, bells that you ding normally for service, right? Uh, and every time you, you were basically given a, a subject and you had to start presenting on the subject, and there was someone with one of those bells and every time they had, every time they rang the bell, you had to completely change. Your story, but you wanted the story to be able to, you know, kind of flow together, right? Where, you know, it's not like a completely different direction that doesn't make any sense, but like, you automatically make that shift and, and again, subconsciously making that shift, not thinking about where this story is going. Um, you know, you're gonna make this change into a completely different, Different realm, but that, that transition makes sense. So again, it's like you said, you know, getting the reps in and understanding, uh, you know, what happens when you kind of just let go if you will. Right. You know, that's, uh, incredibly, incredibly powerful. Um, talk a little bit about what your students have done once they've. Understood the power of being able to, to speak publicly and, and, you know, present well. What, what are some of those results? What have, what have you seen from, from your, uh,  customers? Yeah, for sure, man, you know, you know the way I like to see it. Is that the principles are the same, but the con, the context and how that advice is applied is different for everybody. That's why for me, the question for everyone listening is a simple one. It's just one that we never really think about cuz no one's asked it. How would your life change if you were an exceptional communicator? But what's fascinating about that question, Matt, is the answer for all of us is very different. So if we take my three niches and the people who invest in communication who are generally high level executives, Or managers and above, they're coaches who are already doing six figures in their business, and they see it as a vehicle to close more sales present. We better in webinar formats to, to get more business and create more impact. And the third one is the entrepreneur who's either raising capital or is, is really bad at sales presentations, but the product's excellent. He's just, he or she is just really bad at, at convincing other people that it's just as amazing as, as they've built it or, or created it to be. So in that context, they'll all do the hunter, they'll all do the random word exercise a hundred times in two weeks. I'll force them to do it. That's the difference between, I guess, a personal trainer like me, quote unquote, and, and just listening to the information as a result is forced. So then what happens? But the way that that result gets contextualized, that person changes. Example. For the executive, because I'm doing so many random word exercises when my boss in a corporate meeting is asking me a question, or when I'm being interviewed for another role, I'm a lot less anxious about it because I'm not being asked what my favorite color is. I'm not being asked to talk about the color blue in a presentation. I'm just focused on what I'm doing and the role and responsibilities I'm delivering back to the company. And the second area is the entrepreneur. So if I'm doing a lot of random word exercises, if I go to a networking cocktail or I go to an event where there might be key relationships that I could build, it's going to be really easy for me to make small talk because I've talked about avocado toast, so I. Regardless of how that conversation's going to go, I'm gonna be a lot better at thinking on my feet. Same thing with coaches, let's say on a strategy call. We've all had that weird call where they just ask you bizarre questions, have nothing to do with the service you provide, and you have to just pivot. You know, they might ask you about your grandmother, they might ask you about your life, and your job is to build a rapport with them. So the random, the random word exercise becomes really helpful. So the answer in a short format is the same principles are taught, but the application is completely different.  That is really, really interesting. And I, I picked up on something that I wasn't necessarily thinking of. With this, you know, when we started this, the, this talk, I was expecting this to be about getting up and standing up in front of people, and obviously there's a big element of, you know, making that presentation right? But, but you just said you know how to be a better communicator, right? So this, this is, this is sort of going through all areas of life because again, communication is everywhere, right? So,  Uh,  do you have a different approach if someone's goal is to be able to be a better presenter, um, and like, you know, tips or tricks for the person who, who's looking at presenting things, uh, versus the the person who just wants to be a better communicator to everyone in their life? Does that make sense?  Absolutely Matt, right? Because it's nuanced, the difference between public speaking and communication. And in my view, you know, I'm sure other people who are more technical than I am at this, they'll, they'll draw differentiations between both. Honestly, I'm not one of those people. For me, it's all one and the same. It's you learn the principles, you build up a stack of foundation, so you just get better over time, whether you're speaking on a stage or honestly, with most of my clients, they're not even speaking on a stage. They're ace in corporate boardroom meetings. That's actually the main idea. Or they're crushing sales calls. Cuz at the end of the day, for me, and it would be great to define us, actually, for me, the definition of communication is the same as public speaking, which is, How do we convey an idea in a way that achieves a specific outcome for a specific audience? For me, communication once again is how do we convey an idea in a way that achieves a specific outcome for a specific audience? But that could mean a plethora of things. That could mean, hey, go on a stage and sell $50,000 worth of product. But that could also mean, Hey, convince your wife or husband that, hey, Let's have Mexican food tonight and not Chinese food. That's all communication, but then the way we learn it changes. It's not going to your nuanced question. I'll quickly cover ball two in the three, which is ball number two is the question drill. So the question drill is we get asked questions all the time in our life, man, on a podcast, at school, at work. Most of us are not ready for those questions. I'll give you an example with me. When I started guessing on podcasts, I wasn't this slick. I was a kid, remember? And I still am one technically. And I remember some guy asked me, Hey Brendan, where does the fear of communication come from? And I looked at the guy and I was like, I don't know, man. Los Angeles, New York City. You tell me. So how did I get better? All I did, man, is every single day for five minutes, I answered one question that I thought the world would ask me about my expertise. So day one was how do you overcome your fear of communication? Day two was what tips do you got for introverts? Day three is how do I improve my eye contact? But if you do that every day for a year, just with five minutes, man, you'll have answer 365 questions about your industry. But what's amazing about this exercise, Is it's multipurpose. It doesn't just help you with boardroom questions that you get. It doesn't just help you with a podcast or a sales call. It also helps you prep better in a presentation. Cuz if you can guess ahead of time and just reflect what are 50 questions that my audience will ask about my topic and you re-answer them, that q and a period in your presentation will be a joke. Mm-hmm. Interesting. Interesting. Um,  you said that there is three, three balls, right? Like you're juggling the three balls. Did we do the third ball yet? I don't think we did the third ball yet, right? Yeah. You're a great listener. You know, the reason I always stop after two is cause I don't wanna monologue for 15 minutes, but you're absolutely right Beth. No, I love it. I love it. So look, ball number three is the video message. So make a list of three people that you love the most in your life. It could be a spouse, it could be a a friend. It could be a client. And send them a 22nd, not a 20 minute. But a 22nd video message to just show how much you appreciate having them in your life. What's great about this exercise, it has one key rule. The rule is you're not allowed to retake the video. So if you do this three times a day with a group of different people or the same people, you'll have sent a thousand video messages after a year. And one thing I do, which is a little bit extreme but it helps me stand out, is I have a Google calendar that tells me when it's my client's birthday or a dear friend's birthday. So literally when it's their birthday, I put a stupid birthday hat on that I bought for 15 bucks on Amazon. I take up my phone and I go, guess who's birthday it is? It's yours. I hope you have a wonderful day. And it always, it always makes people's day. Cause I'm pretty much the only dufus who's sending them a crazy birthday video message. Yeah. Out of everyone in their life. But, but it  also is, uh, endearing you to them as well, right? You're, you're helping build that relationship cuz again, that not very many people do that at all. Um, what, so what are some of the common, um, I guess challenges that people come to you with, you know, when it comes to communication, right? Like some, some specific types of things, like what are, what are some of the, uh, you know, obviously everyone has, uh, a fear of public speaking at one point in their life or another, and, you know, some people get over it, but what are, what are some of the other challenges besides, you know, the fear side of things that you. Help people get over, uh, to be able to become a better communicator?  Yeah, for sure, for sure. Matt. So for, for me, the perspective has always been, there's an infinite amount of challenges, but there's a finite set of solutions. So, for example, let's say somebody could say something, Hey, uh, I'm struggling with a keynote. I've coming up. And that's their problem, but the solution is still the same. Work on the fundamentals. Do the random word exercise, and then as they get better, then the, the feedback becomes more contextual. So then it says, okay, so now we've done the random word ex. Now let me take a look at your keynote and see what we can work on better. And then that could, that's one way. The other way, which is a lot more complex is, and I don't do a lot of this, I only do it if I really love the client, which is high stakes communication. So high stakes comms just means a publicly traded C-suite executive who, sorry, a C-suite executive works at a publicly traded company, might come in, have me sign an NDA and go, these are the 17 things that are happening right now for this earnings call I need to take, or this boardroom meeting I need to do. So I'll listen to all of the information and then I'll go, this is how you solve the problem, based on my understanding of it. And then they'll go in with that specific solution and then, and then get the result that they're looking for, whether it's more capital, whether it's satisfying their shareholders, et cetera. That's a lot more complicated, I guess, for today's purpose. But I think the, the idea here, the general idea is, What I've found is it doesn't really matter what the challenge is. The answer's almost the same. The real challenge that matters actually isn't the fear. I would argue. There's a, there's a, there's a challenge even greater than fear, which is motivation. There's so many things in our life, Matt, that we've accomplished. Getting married, having children, asking somebody on a date, applying for college, starting a podcast, getting a job, making a business, starting one yet, Every single thing that we've accomplished in our life is attached to fear. So there's nothing that we're proud of that has zero fear attached to it. Yet when it comes to communication, we go, oh, I'm scared, so I'm just going to sit here and do nothing. But we don't apply that, that logic in anything else in our life. That's why, for me, the biggest challenge that I, that I get clients to focus on, it's not the fear, but rather is your motivation great enough to even work on the, the communication skills in the first place? Because all the tips I've taught today, especially the way I teach it, it's really simple. It's not like I went into a super complicated high stakes communication framework today. It said, do the random word exercise, send a few video messages, and just answer two or three questions, even one every day that you think somebody will ask you. But nobody does that consistently for 30, 60, 90 days. And if you just did that, you'd be a lot better at communication. That's why the frame becomes. Take some time to reflect on how would your life change if you were an exceptional communicator, because if you do that, you'll find a reason that's greater than your fear, and you'll just do it. Yeah. Do, do you have any tips on sort of automating that workflow into your daily routines, your, you know, routine cycles and all of that to make sure that, you know, it's always in front of your face, you don't forget to do it. You get those reps in, you know, any, any thoughts there?  For sure. So, so let me give you the easy one, which is obviously pay for the accountability. So then you're just forced to do it. But for those of you who can't afford a coach, what I've found is that the best way to automate this is often integrating it into your family life. So let me give you an example. Let's say you're somebody listening. They might have children, uh, a significant other. They might have a few nieces and cousins who are nephews rather, who live nearby. It's always better to practice with them. So lemme give you the, the context for somebody, let's say in their thirties, forties, fifties, they have two kids, let's say five years old. Nine years old. And here's what you do. You just go up to them and say, let's play a game called the random word exercise. And you have them give you a word, you do the random word exercise, and then you give them a word. So then it doesn't feel like practice anymore, doesn't feel like a chore. It feels more like family bonding time. And that's a lot of the feedback I've gotten with executives, which is, you know, Brendan, when I go home, My family's just watching tv, so when I do the random word exercise, it gives me an excuse to talk to them and build a relationship with them. That's also true when, let's say they're picking their kids to and from school. Don't put any music, just do the random word exercise five times or six times, and that's the best way to integrate it outside of hiring a coach that will get you results. One other thing that I always like to say as well is everybody showers. Hopefully people are listening to this podcast. You got 15 minutes there in the shower, you're not doing anything, so do the random word exercise there. That's another easy way to implement it in your daily routine without it taking even a minute extra of your time.  Yeah, I, and I love that one too because, uh, you, you kind of have to get over the embarrassment of anyone else who might hear you, right? Like, there's, there's something to be said about like, singing in the shower, talking in the shower, where, you know, you have this, this sort of pent up. Uh, you know, pent up anxiety about, you know, letting anybody hear you. But if this is something that you wanna get over, you know, that's a perfect opportunity to be able to, to, you know, get over that as well to, you know, just, just get out there and, and, uh, you know, kind of make a fool of yourself. I mean, so simple. I would've never thought to, you know, incorporate the other people in my life into the practice of, you know, bettering my communication. So I love that. I love that. Um, is there any, are there any other tips or anything like that, that you can think of that. We, we can employ again into our daily lives or daily routines to be able to again, become a better communicator. Absolutely Matt. So I'll give you both four and five. So Ball four is more of a PR message I always like to send, which is the best way to speak is to speak. So if you wanna get the result from this podcast than listen to, it's very simple. Here's all you have to do, and most people won't do it. Book, 15 minutes in your calendar every single day to do the random word exercise, to do the question drill, and to do the video message. The problem, always when I'm on a show, Matt, is people listen to me and they go, wow, where'd you get this kid, Matt? He's so cool. He's like sharing all these. Really cool tips and then they don't do 'em. And that's why the Balfour is the best way to speak, is to speak. You can listen to me and you talk all day, but the reason you're such a great communicator, Matt, is not cuz you listen to me. It's because you, you had the courage to start the podcast, whether it was a year ago, five years ago, whenever you started it. And that's why you're great at it. And I'm sure the inter you're, the way you interview people today is significantly better than episode one. Right. And that's really the key. You get, you get rewarded to take action, not just by listening to the show. That's four. And ball number five is called the puzzle. So communication, Matt, is like a jigsaw puzzle. You know, those, uh, toys used to play as kids, got like 500 pieces, put 'em all together. So now the question becomes, when we work on a jigsaw puzzle, which pieces do we start with first and why? And the answer is, The edges because the E, the edges are easier to find in the box. Just pull 'em out of the box, get those little edges to them. Work your way to the middle after that. Why am I bringing that up? I'm bringing that up because when we prepare for our presentation, unfortunately we do the opposite. We shove a bunch of content into our presentations. We ramble throughout the whole thing. And then the last slide sounds something like this. Um, uh, ma'am, uh, thanks. Not the right approach. So instead, what you want to do, Is practice your presentations like a jigsaw puzzle. Start with the edges first. Do the introduction 10 times, 15 times until it's perfect. I know that sounds like a big number, but it actually isn't because your introduction's two minutes. So this is a 30 minute exercise. Same thing with the conclusion. What's a great movie with the terrible ending ending? Last time I checked, terrible movie. Same thing for the conclusion. 15 minutes at the end, excuse me. 10, 15 times, two minutes each. 30 minutes total. After an hour, you'll feel like you have the best introduction and conclusion in your life. Then work your way into the middle and you'll do just fine in your next presentation. Yeah, I love  it. And I'm curious, do you. Uh, do you recommend that people record themselves with this as well? And the reason why I ask that is because in your, your Ball four, um, you know, you, you mentioned how, you know, taking the podcast, for instance, the original podcasts were completely different than what, what they are right now. And, and same thing was true with the, uh, with the, uh, the, uh, Um, improv class that I took as well. Right. Big improvement from, you know, where I started to where we ended. So everyone is so instant gratification. Everyone needs instant gratification today, right? So this is a way to be able to see your progress, measure your progress, be able to see, okay, you know, a week ago, a month ago, this is the way that I was presenting. This is the way that I'm thinking about things. Now, today, this is the way that things are, you know, being presented. I've made such huge progress. Just in that short amount of time. And then, you know, again, you can check in on yourself every month, every six months, whatever it is. But is there, is there an element to, you know, again, getting that gratification, seeing that progress, seeing how, how much you've improved from when you started to where you are today. Uh, you know, is there, is there something there as well to be able to kind of ingrain this in, in people as  well? For sure, Matt. Here's the nuanced answer I'll give you, cuz the answer is both. It's yes and no. So what do I mean by this? Yes, in the sense, you're right. And I get my clients to do this, right? You record yourself. That's how you get the result. You see the progress of meaning, you get excited. But the reason I'm saying no as well is because I'm very cognizant of the audience listening. Most people are listening to this podcast. Matt don't even wanna do the random word exercise once, whether it's recorded or not, just based on the hundreds of. Conversations I've had with my audience, maybe even thousands at this point. So here's where I'll draw the line ball. Number one, the random word exercise. That's there's a reason. That's ball number one, not ball number three. So start there, kind of like a diet plan, a fitness plan. Start there and don't even move on to ball number two, until you've done a hundred random work. Exercise, not 10. Not a million. A hundred. A hundred sounds like a big number, but it really isn't because the random word exercise only takes a minute to do. Five minutes a day, you're done in three weeks. Or if you're intense, you do it 10, 20 times. You're done in like a few days. And the point here that I'm driving, Is we do not get points for doing the exercise well. We get points for doing the exercise a lot, and I have never met a single human being in my life. Matt, who comes up to me and says, you know, Brendan, the first time I did the random word exercise was a lot better than my hundredth time. Could I get a refund? I. On my time that I spent. Nobody has said that to me every single time. Matt, even if you never record yourself, you never look at yourself, you never get feedback from a coach. I can swear in blood that if you do this a hundred times guaranteed, you will see some level of improvement and the level will differ. Differ based on the person, but you'll see clear improvement. That's the first piece. Then we go to ball number two. So ball number two is we don't move on to the video message until we've done a hundred question drills. And what's great about this exercise is you don't even need to come up with the questions. I'm practicing the question drill right now because you're asking me questions. And I always say this to every host, like, you don't have to send me the questions. It's fine. Just send me, just throw anything my way and I'm practicing it. So it's nice is you can go back to your audience or colleagues of yours and have them supply the questions and just do one every day if you wanna get it done in three months. But if you're crazy like me, you do 20 a day, you'll be done in five days. Then you go to the video message. So that's really what I'm pushing Matt. Is when we are doing this a lot, then we gain momentum and then your advice becomes really good at this point. Because when you get to ball number three, your mindset around communication is very different from experience. It's like, oh, I've done the random verdicts says a hundred times question drills really easy. I'm so much more comfortable in the boardroom. Now I have the base level confidence to say I can totally record myself and do this. And then that's when your advice is really keen.   All right. My notebook is full after this episode, so we're gonna go through how we learned to be able to be a better speaker. And I'd love the analogy that Brenden used with being able to juggle these various different balls, and he gave us the top five balls that we should be focused in on. So I'm not gonna go through. Each one of these and explain them again because we just went through all of them in the episode. So we'll just go through and name each one of them. So if you remember, ball number one was the random word exercise that can be done with friends, family, your kids. So great way to be able to involve the family into your betterment. Next ball number two was the question game, and that was where you thought up. Of all of the possible questions that someone may ask about your business, product, or service. And what that does is it allows you to be able to think through the answers to all of those questions. So as you are presenting this, you're going to be much, much quicker with all of those. Questions, and obviously if you do this one, one question a day for a year. By the time the year passes, you've compiled and practiced the answers to 365 possible questions that people might ask you into bald number three. That was the video that you were going to send out to friends, family, and colleagues. And the most important part of this ball was to make sure that you understand that you can't redo the recording. It's one go and you have to use whatever it is that you come up with so that remember, this is prepping you so that when you are in front of people, And you're doing this live, you can't take that back again. You have to go with whatever it was that came out of your mouth. So that is preparing you for that type of situation. Don't try to make it perfect. Everyone screws up a little bit when they are up there presenting and communicating with people, but the, the goal is, the tip is to be able to make sure that you don't get distracted by. That thing that you might have not delivered exactly the way that you had thought it would be delivered. Ball four was pretty easy. We just wanna schedule time on the calendar every single day to do the random word exercise and doing the question drill and also the video that you're going to deliver to someone. And again, I love the analogies ball number five included another one. When you're preparing a speech or a presentation, there's obviously a structure that you typically go through, just like when you're putting together a puzzle. And this was a great framework that Brenden used to be able to explain this part of the process. He equated this to a puzzle because the way that you typically. Work on a puzzle is you find all of the edges, you find all of the straight lines, and you do that first. So just like a puzzle you're, you're putting together that outside edge. You want to put together your intro and your outro first, and that sets up the. Tone for the rest of the presentation. What most people don't understand is they'll concentrate so much on whatever the content is, and maybe that content is great, maybe it's okay, but if you start really strong and you end really strong, those are the things that people are going to really, really remember. And. Even if your presentation was not that terribly great in the middle, but again, you end strong, they're going to consider that being a successful presentation. So those are some tips from Brenden and I know that I'm starting to incorporate some of these into my schedule to be able to mic myself a better presenter and speaker. If you want to learn more from Brenden, head over to YouTube and search for Master Talk. He has hundreds of videos there that can help you learn to speak and present. You can also head to rockstar communicator.com and join a live session where Brenden leads a group of people for free through some of these different training exercises. And remember, if you want to understand what the wealthy do, head over to invest in square feet.com and sign up for our newsletter. We release some unheard of tips from our various different speakers, and we also will publish all of the investment opportunities that we may have available there to our listeners so that you can understand what type of passive investment opportunities we may have running at any one time. Invest in square feet, drops every Wednesday on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.

In this episode, we tackle the tough questions aspiring authors face when trying to break into the competitive world of book publishing. With over 60 million books on the market, how can you ensure that your work stands out? How do you build a loyal fan base and make a profit from your writing? Our guest, a seasoned self-published bestselling author, shares his insights on what it takes to succeed in the publishing industry. From developing effective marketing strategies to creating a buzz around your work, you'll learn the key ingredients to make your book a success. So, whether you're just starting out or looking to take your writing career to the next level, tune in and discover how to become a bestselling author. Links and Resources: Buy a copy of Lars Emmerich's best selling books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oY5v7r So I've really been getting into plants a lot lately. I've been searching Facebook marketplace trying to find all of these local plants, these people that are, you know, needing to sell these plants. And I know this is gonna sound obvious to a lot of people, but I keep killing these damn things. So this is my effort to help save some plants out there. I know that, again, this is gonna sound obvious, but what I never. Took into account was actually, you know, sticking my finger into the soil and I found out, I've been doing a lot of research on, you know, how to do things. I basically have been wa overwatering plants, right? So what you want to try to do is stick your finger into the soil about an inch or so, and if it feels dry, the plant needs more water. Most often, uh, if, if it feels wet, then don't water it anymore. So that was a huge tip that has started me being able to keep these plants alive and have them start flourishing. So hopefully that helps some other people not slaughter their plants.  On the Invest in Square Feet podcast, we unlock the secrets of wealthy entrepreneurship. I'm Matt Shields and my mission is to help you business owners, protect and grow your wealth so that you can invest passively into multi-family real estate. If you've been an entrepreneur for any time at all, I'm sure you probably have been proposed or run across the idea of writing a book for whatever industry it is that you serve. But the problem is, is that writing a book is extremely difficult. So today you're going to learn the best way to be able to self-publish your book, to be able to maximize your exposure and give you the best opportunity to be able to profit from your book. Today's guest is Lars Emrick, who is a thriller author, and to the best of his knowledge, he believes that he is the first author that has been able to make a career out of selling directly. To his fans and his readers. Lars drops a few nuggets here during our interview, but he is a bestselling author for the series, the Special Agent series that revolves around Sam Jameson. You're gonna spend a lot of time writing and working on this book, so you want to give yourself the best chance for success, and Lars has figured out how to do that. And we cover that today on Infest in square feet.   Well, at the time, it was three years after Jeff Bezos, you know, young, skinny, enthusiastic kid, uh, goes on, I think like Good Morning America or something and talks about this weird thing called the kind. And so, uh, it was the beginning of the independent publishing revolution. And so as I was trying to figure out which direction should I go, should I go try to land an agent who will then try to land a publishing contract? I said, well, I should probably look at the publishing contract to see what that's all about. Mm-hmm. Before I choose my life vector on the strength of one idea or another. And I read the publishing contract terms and I was like, this. Freaking stupid who signs this? The only people who sign this are probably people who don't have another option. And there was no option before. That's how the contracts got to be so terrible. Uh, and the terms just are atrocious. And so I said, well, I, you know, it sounds strange having spent 20 years in the military, but I, I have authority issues also. So I said, ah, screw it. I'm gonna go do my own thing. And, uh, so that I never looked back. Never, never had a moment where I felt like, oh man, I really wish I had a publisher too, you know, To not do that. Yeah. And, and did you, so I, I know that there are all kinds of, I guess, um, secrets, techniques, whatever to, you know, publishing in Amazon. Did you, did you learn all of that type of stuff right off the bat, or is this? You know, and I'm not, I'm by no means an expert in it at all. Um, but I guess I'm, I'm just curious, did you, did you know about any of that stuff when you published it, um, you know, the first time or was this just sort of a very much so trial and error, um, type situation? It's, it's both. I did a lot of re I tend to nerd out a little bit, so I spent a lot of time, um, digging through all of that stuff. And I had, uh, I guess I had started my entrepreneurial journey officially, like in 2003, so maybe already like nine-ish years before. So I knew my way around a bit. I mean, things changed quickly, but it was, um, I wasn't starting from a dead stop, you know, I, I had, mm-hmm. I had some momentum already and I, I had some sense for how things worked and, uh, so those pieces fit together fairly quickly for me. Um, I was able to follow some of the best practices that people had around to get a good bit of traction on, on, uh, at the time there were a number of platforms that were, that were major players, you know, uh, Apple Books. Um, a Canadian outfit called Cobo. Obviously, Amazon and Barnes and Noble had stuff going on. They were a bunch of smaller, independent, more independent, um, privately held. Concerns were also published. And so the strategy at the time was to go wide, be every place. Um, Kendall Unlimited, I think, had kicked off or maybe was beginning, uh, was launched maybe shortly thereafter. Um, so my strategy was to be every place books are sold, uh, to the extent possible without a distribution pipeline to be in like airports and mm-hmm. At the time there was still a bunch of bookstores. And so it's hard to get into bookstores without, um, sort of playing the old Yeah. The old school, uh, process. Yeah. But, um, and then everything consolidated, you know, like, like frequently happens. There's only one player that really makes a difference now, and that's Amazon, of course, in the, mm-hmm. In the field. Um, but the interesting thing about that is, you know, for my fellow math nerds, that's a power law kind of game, meaning, The rewards are very, very big for a very, very, very small number of authors, and for ever, for everyone, an author who has ever in his lifetime or her lifetime, earned over a million dollars. I'm not talking about in a year, I'm just talking about total career total. Mm-hmm. There are 1.67 million other authors who have not. Yeah. And, uh, in fact, 0.06% of authors have ever sold a thousand copies or more. Wow. Lifetime. Yeah. So it's a tall mountain and it's a very steep slope, and it's only getting taller and only getting steeper. So it's an interesting ecosystem to dive into.  So, so if you were starting today, Um, and you, uh, you know, obviously you've, you've done this many times over, you know, becoming, uh, you know, a bestselling author. What would be some of the tips and strategies that you would use to be able to, you know, achieve that goal? And this kind of gets into. You know, some of the things that I think the way that you know, Amazon and the other platforms work with how you, um, you know, position yourself maybe in a, an area that, uh, or a, a field or category that might not be as popular and you kind of just make your way up through the ranks that way. Is that, is that how it works? Or, you know, just, I guess kind of go through some of your, some of your thoughts on how to achieve that?  Sure. That's cool. Um, well, I, I recently. Because as soon as I figured I had to sell directly to readers at a profit, and as soon as I made my, uh, first million dollars doing that, I was like, you know, lots of people are going to wanna know how to do this. And so I, I, um, it's, it's involved and nerdy and there's a bunch of fussy technical things to do. So I have a consulting program that helps with that. And, um, but I've been doing it for a while and the game changes and I wanted to revisit some prior assumptions. Because when, when you serve customers directly, you do customer service. Yeah. And that's hard often. And the nice thing about Amazon is they do that on your behalf. You have no idea, well, first of all, you have no idea who your customers are. Mm-hmm. So you have no idea how to find more customers really, because you, you can't differentiate a paying customer from a person off the street, you know, otherwise. Yeah. But, So what I did over this year is I took my series, which, which is a successful series, and I stopped my direct sales advertising and I, I put everything I have learned over the last 19 ish years in digital marketing and I tried to make the Amazon thing work and I'm not starting from ground zero. I'm starting from, you know, a, a, a good way, a good way up the mountain already. And, um, I, I was able to do that profitably, but you had to float your advertising costs for nine months before you broke even. Oh, wow. So that's tough for a lot of beginning authors. Yeah. And the other thing is that pretty much as soon as your advertising stops, so does your visibility. So if you're paying out of pocket every day, And you're not getting paid for up to 90 days for any sales that are produced on that day. And it's a very, very slow, um, a very, very slow accumulation. It's a difficult way to get started. Mm-hmm. Contrast that with what it's like when you sell directly to your fans and customers. You spend whatever dollars on your advertising budget today, um, in the best circumstance. You get that back and then some on the next bank. So within just a couple of days. Mm-hmm. Um, worst case, you get some of that back and then the email sequences that you send out to your customers make the, make the rest of the revenue up for you. Another interesting thing happens when you advertise directly to readers, pointing them at your own store, and this is real, this took me by surprise, but, it's the most reliable way to also improve your Amazon royalties as. Because while it's called cross-channel effects, um, at least as I understand that definition, you're advertising for one thing, but folks will go to where they're already comfortable and type your name in mm-hmm. And find you there and buy your stuff there, so mm-hmm. It isn't, while it's important not to put all your eggs in one basket, it's important to have some eggs in that basket. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because, uh, you know, you'll, that's like. Six figures, of annual incidental income that you weren't planning on that, just is happening by virtue of this other thing that you're doing. So, um, for my money, and I'm still a nerd, so I do a lot of testing for all my testing, that seems to be the best way to get started.  Got it. So, so you would, you would advise essentially opening up your own store and building your own list? Yep. And you know, also at the same time, um, you know, have the Amazon store. So like you said, you know, if people are familiar, they know Amazon, they, they have all their credit card information stored in Amazon. I'm just gonna go there and buy it, you know, you know, at least you're showing up there as well. For sure. Yeah. Interesting. And, and, um, when you're, when you're defining, you know, the store. Um, what does that look like for you? Are you using Shopify or you, you know, WordPress? What, what is, what does that kind of platform stack look  like for you? Yeah, that's a great question. So the, uh, the, the stack, most readers tend to be, um, elderly, like older. Mm-hmm. The platform most relevant to those folks for advertising remains Facebook. So that's where the readers are. And so that's where the. The main advertising thrust comes from, for better and for worse, just like every other platform. Mm-hmm. Do you know? Mm-hmm. You love it and you hate it on about like a one-to-four ratio. Yeah. 1, 1, 1 part love, four parts hate. Yeah. Yeah. The thing for everything I've done on Google and other, and other places too. And, um, that goes to a, um, a couple of ways you can do it, but the, the cleanest, smoothest way is just to go straight to a sales page. And for that you can, what we tend to use is a particular, um, landing page builder that's really good at helping you optimize the conversion rate on that page. Mm-hmm. Because margins are slim, as you can imagine in the book business. It's really important that your message is dialed in. And the best way to do that is to, is to optimize it. So from that optimized landing page, uh, we go right to checkout and. Um, we've, we have, uh, several hundred thousand dollars through like three or four different providers of e-commerce stuff. And, um, the cleanest, well, there's no, there's no perfectly clean one. Like, there's, they all are great for some stuff and they all suck for other stuff. And, uh, it's just a matter, of picking your poison. But for the combination of, uh, print audiobooks, so hardcovers, paperbacks, large print editions, audiobooks, and eBooks. Uh, the one I recommend is Shopify. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And just like anything else you have, you know, you have to figure out how to make all of that. It's one thing to set the structure up, but it's another thing entirely to get it to work, at a profit. And so that's where the bulk of, the work comes in.  Yeah. And, and talk a little bit about how you, and again, I know this has been going over many, many years, but how did you create your, you know, your, your, your reader base? Right? I mean, is it? You know, you didn't start off with, with Facebook, you know, maybe you're getting a lot of people there now and, you know, you're, you're capturing email addresses so that you can reach out to, you know, people that have shown interest or, you know, yeah. You know, bought, um, but, but I'm just curious how you went about. You know, starting that, that, that email capture campaign or whatever it was that you used to be able to, you know, start reaching out to those, those initial readers. It's  a great question. Back in the day, there was actually discovery on the platform, meaning just by virtue of being there, you could get some readers to find you and in the back of, in both the front matter and the back matter of those. Um, the, all of the retailers used to just let you put links, so mm-hmm. Anything, uh, they could, you could put links to your list. You just couldn't put links to the other guy's store. That's it. So early on, it just sort of grew organically. And then the other way that you got reader eyeballs on was you would, you would give away your first book in the series. Mm-hmm. Which is a tough move to have to make because you've, you know, years of blood, sweat, and tears in most cases to get that first one out. But it was a reality of it. So, the freebies would attract interest, you would get read through, they would purchase your subsequent novels and they would also, in many cases, sign up for yours. Now, um, later on, that evolved to using advertising to send folks to a landing page to sign up for a free book. So you have their email before they get the free book, and then after they have signed up for the free book, the next page is you can offer them a discounted offer on say the next three or the next four. The next five in yours. And a good portion of readers will take you up on that offer. And it was very interesting because, you know, I, I, you know, I'm a nerd and I, uh, test these things and for the first three times I tested this, uh, I found that I was 100 times more likely to sell a book to a stranger from an advertisement after first giving one away. Hmm. Interesting. That only switched. Uh, about seven months into the covid lockdown. When I think the older audience became more comfortable with online commerce. Mm-hmm. I think that's the, I think that's the, the switch that happened.  Yeah. It was a necessity at that point. Yeah, I think so. One interesting thing that happened when you get a bunch of folks on your list who are there for a free book is that most of the people are there on your list for free books. Mm-hmm. And very few of them are there to purchase. And of course, maintaining a list becomes quite a, quite a business expense over time. So the way I prefer to run it now, and the way that it's more profitable to run it now is just advertisement directly to the sales page. And then when somebody makes a purchase in the checkout process for every online commerce interaction, it involves contact information, including your email address. So now every person who shows up on my email list is a paying customer. Mm-hmm. And so that's better.  Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolut. Absolutely. Yeah. No, that makes sense. Um, what, what are you, what would you say is, and again, I mean, I feel like this business, there are so many, you know, big challenges and hurdles, but are there any like, Like, holy shit, this one was really, you know, this one was difficult to be able to climb or figure out. Are there any like things that you can, can offer shortcuts or suggestions you can offer as shortcuts? Like, don't go down this path, or don't, you know, this is a, a hill, you don't, you shouldn't, you know, you shouldn't climb. There's a better way to do it. Does anything come to mind when I say those types of things? Yeah. Um, What comes to mind is it's all hard. Yeah. It's all hard. I, I, yeah, I, I, that's what I always feel too. Right?  Yeah. I was doing some math recently and um, I think there's somewhere north of 60 million books mm-hmm. Available. So there's not much scarcity in the market, and it is very much a winner take all. That's the power law distribution, the winner take all kind of, uh, kind of market. Mm-hmm. Um, the margins are low, and, uh, the price pressure is ever lower. Um, so what I think is the best advice here is that you should write if you can't write, And then after you've written, uh, the next thing, when you create something, the next thing that happens is you wanna share it. Um, and if that feeling is strong that you want to share what you've written, uh, give it six months, come back to it, reread it, re-edit, you know, have it, send it back to an editor, and uh, you know, get something that. Professional grade, that's the bar. You know, the minimum, the minimum requirement is a professional grade and it's hard to write professional-grade stories with professional-grade sentences in it, right? Yeah. Yeah. That's difficult to do, but that's the minimum bar. And then, uh, if you want to, if you want to get into selling your books, um, I'll talk in a second about my recommendation for nonfiction, but if you're a novel. If you want to get into selling your books, prepare to spend 50% of your work time, building your platform, building your brand, um, diving into online marketing, diving into in-person marketing, and you mean you, you really do have to approach it as a business owner. There is no such thing as I mean for some, you know, for James Patterson and, and Lee Child and you know, a few folks who are in, who are. Superstar status, their main job is just writing great stuff and, and mm-hmm. And letting the momentum continue to build for everybody else. Um, I mean, you can view that like, you know, lots of people, you know somebody's gonna win the lottery, but you know, it's probably not you. Yeah. Yeah. So you really have to approach it as a business. You have to find a process that you can execute daily, both for your writing and for your marketing. You have to feed and water them both daily, basically. Um, and then you have to be able to enjoy that process for years on end. So it's like the exact opposite of a get-rich-quick scheme, right? Yeah.  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. So, so you mentioned, you know, refining the book until its professional grade. If you are, if you're looking for an editor, h how do you, how do you qualify or how do you find an editor that, you know? I, I feel like there's, there's, there's. There's almost like a personal connection here too, because like, you know, you're obviously speaking in your own voice, and if you give it to an editor that has a completely different voice, then you know, that changes the story somewhat. So how do you find an editor that speaks in your voice, but also, um, You know, provides that professional grade opinion on how you should be, you know, phrasing everything and how everything should be structured?  It's a tough question. And, um, I've, I've viewed it like therapists, right? There's a lot, there's a lot of therapists, but it's hard to find a good one. By the way, I think every human should find a therapist if you can, uh, find a good one. Yeah. Uh, I was lucky in that my, from the jump. Um, the editor that I, uh, that I worked with really understood the difference between voice and style and the story requirements. And so she was just terrific at very gently, very gently guiding me toward the, uh, you know, toward the story elements that really were needed. Without squashing my style. Mm-hmm. And, um, because that's what I mean, people love the atmosphere and the vibe and the feeling. I mean, they want, of course, the story is important, but the way they feel while you're communicating the story mm-hmm. That's really what they're there for. Like, they want to feel a certain set of emotions that come with diving into the kind of world that you write. So, um, I always say like, great stories, full of great sentences. That's the that's the ticket. Mm-hmm. The ones, that just engage folks on a lot of different levels emotionally with love, with humor, with suspense, with fear, with anger. Um, it lets folks lead a vicariously richer life than maybe the one that we're in normally. Mm-hmm. So, It's hard, you know, to this day, I, I get done with a chapter and I'm like, well, I hope that's not shit. Or, or, and when I finish a book, I'm like, well, I hope I haven't just laid an egg. Everybody who's ever liked me, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still, struggle with that.  Yeah, that's interesting. I mean, it's, it's, uh, you know, kind of a, I guess a, a very, very thankless, uh, process when you go through it and you don't, you don't have any idea how people are gonna receive it until, you know until you get it out there. So, yeah. Interesting. Do you ever do any type of, um, like pre-launch or, or, uh, Uh, sampling, like people can, you know, preview your, your upcoming books to try to get a little bit of feedback so you can judge like, did I just write shit or was it, you know, is this gonna be something that is, uh, you know, gonna be well received? Yeah. There's a fraction of just a very small fraction of your reading list that it's a good idea to approach and ask them to be beta readers. Mm-hmm. Because there are things that'll happen that'll slip through the editing process. And you know when you, when you write a book traditionally and your hand in the manuscript, you don't see it until you get it back for revisions and then you hand it in for that final time and they go, yep, we, we've got it from here. You have no idea what's gonna come out on the other end. Yeah. However, those folks do put together a very clean, very clean manuscript. Although not perfect, like it's very, I, I always smile when I'm like reading Harry Potter to the kids and I'll find, a typo in the middle of the best-selling books since the Bible or whatever. And, um, so nothing is perfect, but they produce a really high-quality manuscript. But when, when the buck stops with you, like you, you're making the final decision on every sentence, which means you can screw it up. And sometimes that happens. So it's great too. A, uh, a reader team that makes sure you didn't accidentally change somebody's name or location or, you know, there's coherence through the story and you haven't made any glaring errors. And so, um, they've been quite useful over the years too, to help with those kinds of things. Um, the other thing that they do for authors is they'll often be the first folks to write a review. Ah, that's a whole like slightly slimy, dirty ecosystem reviews on Amazon, you know, um, there's a whole bunch of, a whole bunch of, uh, skullduggery around all of that that I'm happily not really a part of anymore since selling directly. Yeah, because what happens, uh, for me is that people just comment on my ads. They'll say, oh, this is the greatest thing since Slice bread. I love you. You're the best. Or like, you're Satan Go to, hell go to hell die. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, You get plenty of feedback anyway, um, but it helps not to be completely beholden to, uh, a whole gaggle, of Amazon reviews. Otherwise, you know, nobody, nobody will buy your book.  Yeah. Yeah. No, that makes sense. That makes sense. Um, well before we, before we wrap up here, I wanted to, to shift gears a little bit too, because you have, you have some other, um, causes and organizations that you're, you're very, um, you know, connected with, um, you know, through like the, the, the P T S D and, and all of that. Talk a little bit about those programs and, um, you know, what, what it is that you have found and are doing.   Yeah, that's, thank you. That's a great question. Um, so what happens to a human is we have fundamental questions about our worth. And, uh, am I love-lovable? Am I, am I good enough? And I think every one of us has those questions, and we all have these events that happen in our lives that, uh, that make us believe on some fundamental level that we're lack. This is extremely common, way more common than people think. And then when you, uh, do things in the military, that's particular things in combat, um, those can stay with you and they confess you are in your mind and your psyche, they can sabotage your relationships. Because they sabotage, your feeling of what you're able to bring to a relationship. You doubt your own you, your doubt in your own abilities and worth and value is magnified when you go through, um, intense experiences. And at the same time, there's until recently not been much cultural tolerance for getting help. Mm-hmm. With that kind of. So you don't really realize that you have this kind of disease and, um, you also don't realize that it's treatable, um, usually until something happens in your life and it comes to a crisis point. Uh, so there's, an organization called the Headstrong Foundation, which, uh, provides mental healthcare that's stigma-free and anonymous and hassle-free. And also cost-free, uh, care for military veterans. And I'll tell you what, the help that, uh, my family and I got from them has been absolutely life-changing. So, uh, it's one of my sort of, sort of crusades too, uh, maybe spread the word about that and help those folks do keep doing the amazing work that they're doing. Yeah, yeah. No, I couldn't, couldn't agree more. And I, I feel like, um, you know, obviously, you know, P T S D is something that, um, You know, certainly afflicts a lot of the military personnel, but I also feel like there's, there are other, other points in life, like you kind of pointed out, you know, other, other situations in life that, you know, can grow and fester and, you know, basically put you into that same type of That's right. You know, that same type of head space and, uh, You know, it's, it's interesting, uh, you know, I'm glad that it's getting more visibility and more, uh, acceptance to be able to, to go out and get that help. You know, when, when you did. Yeah. Right. So, well then there's an internal barrier to asking for help also, because, um, I didn't, I don't, I didn't get my leg blown off. Mm-hmm. You know, I, I didn't, I have friends who, I've gone to a lot of funerals, uh, in the fighter business over the years, and a lot of my friends. Um, died badly, uh, but never in my arms, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, I don't, they never got blood splattered all over me. And so I felt like I didn't deserve to take help that somebody else might need, you know, who's obviously been through more than I have. And it was actually kind of an eye opener to realize that, oh, there's, there's enough help for me too. Yeah. Um, and it can really. And, uh, not just myself, but my wife and certainly my kids. The environment they grow up in, we shape as parents. So, um, it was a mindset shift for me. Arrived at that point that I would allow myself to go, you know, to go talk to somebody even though I have all my limbs. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Like, that may sound silly. No. But that's sort of really how we think.   So we learned that when you publish a book, you obviously want to be found pretty well everywhere. That much is obvious, but what most people will do is they will publish their book on Amazon and they think that that is going to miraculously, Drive people to purchase their book. What Lar suggests is that you use Amazon as an avenue, but you should absolutely be selling your books from your own platform. He suggested using Shopify as the preferred network that he has found to be able to work very, very well for this purpose. And you also want to build a list of buyers. This is really, really important because again, what a lot of people will do is they might give away a free chapter or some type of lead magnet to be able to entice someone into giving you their name or email address. And what ends up happening is if you generate quite a bit of traffic, you have to pay. To be able to maintain that list. As that list grows, it gets to be more and more expensive for whoever is managing your list, whether it be MailChimp or you know, any of the other plat mail platforms that might be out there. So what Lars does is he will only offer to capture people's contact information after they've gone through and, and gone through the purchasing process. So your list is a list of buyers. That is incredibly, incredibly valuable. I, I would take, you know, a list of a hundred buyers any day to a list of 10,000 people that might be interested in your services. You always want to be able to focus on the list of buyers. Once you have the contact information of this list of buyers, you want to be able to cultivate that relationship with people so that they are getting to know your personality. So keep in front of them and keep reaching out to them and then you can, they can help you in the future when you are looking for help. Maybe on the next book or feedback or whatever it might be. You can utilize that relationship with some of the better people to be able to. Qualify some of your questions. And remember, it's very, very key to be found everywhere. So in the example of Amazon, certain people are not going to want to purchase from your website. It's gonna be too much work. It's going to be too much to be able to enter all the contact information. So they may rather. Go to Amazon where they have all of their stored information already. So you want to be able to have that as an option, but you don't want to rely on it and depend on it as your only option. And if you want to learn more about Lars or anything that he might have going on right now, just head over to lars.buzz, which is l a r s dot b u z z. And if you want to understand what the wealthy do, head over to invest in square feet.com and sign up for our newsletter. That's gonna do two things for you. We're going to publish special outtakes from episodes that you're not going to hear anywhere else, and you're also going to have access to investment opportunities that we may have in real estate and technology offerings. We drop every Wednesday and we are available on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.  

As entrepreneurs, we all dream of having a website that ranks high on search engines and attracts millions of visitors without having to pay for clicks or beg for backlinks. In this podcast, we will explore the secrets to achieving high search results and optimizing your website to become an asset that generates revenue for your business. Our expert guests will share their insights, strategies, and techniques for growing your website organically, without relying on paid advertising or link-building schemes. You'll learn how to identify and target the right keywords, create high-quality content that resonates with your audience, optimize your website structure and metadata, and leverage social media and other digital channels to amplify your reach. We'll also discuss the latest trends and best practices in search engine optimization (SEO), including the impact of voice search, artificial intelligence, and machine learning on website rankings. Join us on this exciting journey from zero to SEO hero, and discover how to unlock the full potential of your website and turn it into a powerful marketing tool that drives traffic, leads, and sales for your business. Links and Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seoexpert/ Website: Wiideman Consulting Group, Inc  If you've been in business for any time at all, you probably have heard of the Red Bible. The name of the book is called The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes, and it's affectionately called the Red Bible because everyone. Who is in business cannot live without it. There's a concept in the book called the Dream 100, and essentially what it boils down to is you want to identify the top 100 people, people that you want to do business with. So when I started looking at this, basically what I started doing, I was not looking at the people. I was looking at the company and figuring out what companies it was that I wanted to work with and then figuring out who owned those companies and that's the way that I was approaching it. And that is not the right way to do it. You want to ultimately work with people and you want to interact. People, and obviously you wanna be able to interact with people that are on your same wavelength, interested in the same things as you are, and then you can make different connections and different, um, introductions and, uh, you know, do things for people that you know that you would like. So it makes it much, much, much easier to be able to do that. Now, I'm not gonna go through all of these because there are quite a few of them, but I've got a spreadsheet here that have things o obviously contact information, email all of their social. Profiles. Then you also want to understand, you know, their family. How many kids do they have? What are their kids' names? Business partners, personal partners, um, childhood influencers, their parents, their grandparents. Is the family involved in the business? If so, what? What type of business influencers that they follow, their favorite podcasts? Are they into cars? Are they into, uh, what type of real estate investment types do they like? Other types of investments, sports, favorite sports teams, favorite celebrities? Um, who's their banker? Who's their bookkeeper per personal assistant realtor? Lawyer, favorite politician, or country club that they belong to. Favor, vacation spots, favorite bands, personal development, history, all of these types of things you want to know and understand. And when you start creating this list, this Dream 100 list, and you know and understand your target people who you want to be able to bring into your life, this information is going to make it so, so much easier. So if you haven't read the Ultimate Sales. I urge you to go and pick up a copy of that book right now.  On the Invest in Square Feet podcast, we unlock the secrets of wealthy entrepreneurship. I'm Matt Shields and my mission is to help you protect your wealth so that you can invest passively in multi-family real estate. Today we are going to be talking about SEO, and our guest today goes way back into the very early beginnings. Everyone knows that SEO is sort of one of those holy grails of business. Being able to generate sales and opportunities without actually having to go out and sell to anyone or market to anyone, but takes a lot of work. Our guest today, Steve, is an expert in SEO and he's been doing this. For about 20-plus years now, so he's seen all of the changes and he understands how Google and how all of the various different algorithms work. There's a lot packed into this episode today, but we're going to learn some effective strategies and techniques for growing a website organically without relying on paid advertising or any type of link-building schemes. With that, let's go ahead and get onto the show.  I think there's, there are three main challenges, right? And each one falls within its respective discipline of what I do. Right? It's tech content and off-page, uh, from a tech standpoint, choosing the right content management system. Mm-hmm. , you know, I find it very challenging in many cases to optimize, um, drag and drop systems like WIC and Weebly. It's very difficult, from a technology standpoint, to have a system that offers all the features and bells and whistles that we need to satisfy Google's recommendations. Uh, great page experience. Mm-hmm.  on the content side, the biggest challenge has always been. Unfortunately on the client side with getting them to contribute to content, I can't tell you how many thousands of rows in spreadsheets I've delivered to clients of pages that they need to create to appear for the keywords that their customers are searching for. Mm-hmm. , and they just won't take the time to do it. They won't even dictate it and have you transpose it in and try to, you know, write it yourself. They, they just, they just don't have the time bandwidth, interest, or understanding. , you know, to complete the content piece. And when you outsource almost every single time, they're gonna get back this content from some vendor and they're gonna go, this isn't how we describe what we do. This isn't how, you know, we would do it. It's like, well, that's why we asked you to write it first. So I think the content piece has always been a challenge, um, on, the off page. You know, getting other websites to link to your website. Mm-hmm. , you know, it's, it's almost like a, there's a stigma to it now. Everyone gets an email every day saying, will you link to me? Sure. And, uh, they don't even open 'em anymore. They know, oh, this guy's trying to, you know, link bait me to, to share something or link to them. So I think, the challenging side of getting links is getting buy-in from the clients on doing so. from a content standpoint that's completely out of the box. Mm-hmm. . Hey, client, help me create an, um, all-inclusive glossary, an ultimate definitive guide too. Um, let's take some of the data that you have that no one else has about your clients, and let's create some content that's based on a research survey and combine it with our data to have this ultimate. Um, research pieces that we think are even our industry peers and competitors might even link to. We did that last year. We did a study of 300 location pages for Starbucks and Taco Bell and McDonald's, and we studied which attributes played a role in them, uh, ranking better than their competition. And before you know it, I've, I've got, you know, platforms like Bright Local linking to us and me. Web Pro News and Site Pro news, and we didn't have to do any outreach to, or emails to say, Hey, were you linked to our page? They were performing their own research on something that they were creating, and they referenced ours because we had data and we had statistics and tables and charts. So it's the off-page side's definitely, the challenge. And of course, wrapping all of that together, the tech. Content and off-page and getting buy-in from the client and from stakeholders are, mm-hmm.  is often very challenging, especially with larger brands. Hey, larger brand. You realize right now you've got over 500 important URLs with other websites linking to them that are serving users and web callers of 4 0 4 air. Yeah, we'd like to get to that, but SEO o on the MarTech side of things isn't really a priority right now. We're working on new platform things and changes and, you know, but, but we'll put it in Jira and we'll get to it in, you know, in due time. Mm-hmm. , you know, meanwhile, all those pages continue to just disappear from the search results. That traffic disappears and goes away forever. We're dealing with, a client right now who's completely blocked the root of theirs. From being indexed by search engines, and we looked at their search console this morning, they were getting as much as 55,000 visits a day to these pages that now no longer exist in Google's results. They're still out there. If you direct type them in, you can go to 'em, but they've blocked the search engines and nobody knows why. It turns out it's probably something having to do with this Microsoft Azure program where they said, Hey, hey clients. You know, we've got a new feature. You can. All the spam bots of the world, just click this button. And somebody said, oh, neat. And they clicked it and not realizing they're blocking Google and being from being able to, you know, to serve their content. Mm-hmm... So, uh, so yeah, I think getting, getting buy-in from, from developers who can talk very savvy to you sometimes and argue with you very well, um, can be a huge challenge. So having documentation. You know, the Google webmaster documentation and being webmaster documentation as an arsenal to combat those situations can help. And the other thing to do is, is to, is to reward those people through recognition when they do fix something, Hey, by the way, I dunno if you realize this, but those 55,000 visits translated into roughly $300,000 a day in revenue. So by you fixing this, you've just saved the company x millions of dollars per year. So kudos to developer Sam, you know, who, um mm-hmm. , who basically saved the company X millions of dollars a year. Don't take credit for it, give the credit to the people who did the work so that they have buy-in and feel like, Hey, I'm, my work is, is validated and now going forward, Sam, can you fix this thing? Yeah, I might save the money, and the company more money. Of course. I'll do it right away. Yeah,  Yeah. No, makes sense. Uh, you, you mentioned there's, you know, essentially there's the, the three different, you know, categories. You've got you, your C R m or your, you know, your platform. Uh, you've got, your content generation, and then you've got, your promotion side of things. Talk a little bit about it. Your, um, your story of finding the best solutions, you know, for each one of those things. I mean, obviously, this has been going on for, you know, a good number of years, but 24 years. Yeah. Yeah. How, uh, how did you determine, you know, this is the best way to be able to do this, and does this change a lot too, with all the differences? You know, the different updates and Sure. You know, obviously, everyone remembers the Panda update, you know, that was a big one. So, you know, does, does, does that kind of shift depending on what new technologies or what new updates are, are coming out?  Yeah, and I wish, I wish there was a one, one solution for all scenarios. Even, in the early days, we would just use static H T M L and we would borrow from c s s, uh, zengar to create lightning-fast tablet designs. Um, and even that, you can't find a single page on that site. Now that. We'll pass Google's web vitals and some of the other technical criteria that we pay attention to. So, um, the challenge is finding a platform that's, that, um, works with all of the different. Technical s e o requirements such as speed, mobile, friendliness, security, web vitals, and accessibility, that that comes fully integrated with all of those features while still being flexible enough for a marketer with no technical experience to log in, and create optimized content Today, you really, you really can't get both, right? You, get WordPress, for example, and there are some ways that you. You can amplify speed using caching and plugins and third-party systems, some of which are getting really controversial, um, that that can make it seem to Google like we're following everything when a lot of times we're just hacking their tests. Testing tools. Mm-hmm. , um, as opposed to actually creating a lightning-fast experience that's still, um, that still enables, the writers and the creators to go in and, and make changes. The other solution is, you know, the, the old school way, let's take. All the new frameworks and all the new technologies and headless and everything that we can do from a technology standpoint and create incredibly lightning-fast, amazing experiences for customers. But in doing so, we've gotta get rid of C M S. And if we get rid of C M S, now the writer has to deliver their draft in a Word document or a Google document and wait for the developer to load it up and then go back to the developer after the fact and have them.  more of the optimizations once the page is live. And that's, that's a grueling process that could really delay things. And if you're trying to rank for a new keyword that people are looking for, you're gonna lose. You need to get that page up today. If you're a news website, you know the moment that news hits within the next two hours, that needs to be live. So waiting for it to go through that dev process.  to deploy content. Mm-hmm. , uh, can be really challenging. So big sites, news sites, LA Times, and, um, New York Times and so forth, all build some homegrown systems that, that work for them, uh, because they have the millions of dollars to do that with. Yeah. But, uh, but for the small, regular day-to-day businessman, um, business people, uh, I think the, uh, the best approach is, is just to let some things go. You want to be able to have the ability to control your content and not be at. Um, you know, um, you know, having to wait for a developer to do something for you. Sure. So I would say just, just be okay with not having all these perfect technical scores. Work with WordPress. If you're on a, uh, if you're selling products and you're doing e-commerce and you have more than 20 products, Shopify or another system that we've worked with for a nearly, uh, decade and a half now, it's called Circuit Networks. They used to be called SEO Cart. They have an incredible, and originally it was SEO Cart, literally. Mm-hmm. So it was. C m s, that that was optimized specifically for ranking and search results. Mm-hmm. , and it works great, for most businesses. Shopify, you know, does have some features like that, um, that have one, one button checkouts, you know, with the shop app. Mm-hmm. And some other attributes that make conversion better, which can affect long-term SEO. So, so I'd, I'd say, you know, tests, those are the two that I know work really well. And every day there are new things coming out that you could test, but I don't like to reinvent the wheel and I don't like. I don't like to pay somebody to make their product better. Mm-hmm. , I get a lot of that where I'm feeding suggestions and complaints to c m s systems and then they go and they fix those things and I'm like, wow. I just, I just literally paid them. To fix their system... Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so I, I'd say work with the ones that are already doing well. WordPress will do you just fine if you're a small business and you're doing lead generation and Shopify will do you just fine if you're an e-commerce, um, site. And they're getting better every day because they're getting complaints and suggestions from other digital marketers. Mm-hmm...  Go about qualifying a developer or qualifying code to make sure that it is, you know, using two 2022 standards. And, and processes and, and whatnot. For sure.  I, I think, I think that's where you get a, a, a consultant who specializes in, in web development, you know, not, not to be the person who helps build it, but to be the second set of eyes to make sure that it's being built in a way that. What do you feel confident about in terms of pre-qualifying them? Uh, I would, I would ask to do, or I would have that consultant do an interview with the person to have 'em show the code of how they code. What's your logic look like? Um, how do you, how do you operate? How do you, um, uh, store files? How are you doing with your styles an, your JavaScripts and, and j queries? Um, can I, can I use Python and do some cool things and, and., um, you know, be able to have elasticity in how the site's built or is it very rigid and, um, you know, and, and if something breaks, a semicolon goes away, the whole site goes down. Right, right. So I think, I think there's gotta be that. And the one thing I would look for sure is, is a, a staging environment. Right. I would, I would look for that first, I would say I would always have a staging environment. So before we roll out big site changes, uh, we wanna make sure that everything's on staging and even in the content process, even if we've gotta deploy something in two hours, deploy it in both places on staging and in production. That way you can still get it live, but you don't have to worry about if you do a full site refresh, that something on production gets wiped.  from some change that happened on staging. Mm-hmm. So I would say that would be the one thing I would look for is, is tell me how you operate from a change management standpoint. Mm-hmm. , um, a redundancy standpoint, um, and sustainability. I think if you're paying attention to all those things, um, and as long as you know, you can look at the code and see that, that person's logic as well organized and clean mm-hmm.  and not just a, you know, looks like a, a giant hash and you should be good. Yeah. Yeah. You mentioned redundancy there. What, what are some good? , um, rules of thumb to be able to make sure that, you know, you have the proper backups in place or you know, that the proper, um, you know, just, just the backup to make sure that if the site does go down, you're not gonna lose all of the data that you know has been accrued over, over the years. Yeah, and, this will depend on your CMs too. As WordPress has, has tools and plugins that you could use that will back up the entire WordPress database for you and mm-hmm. , you can run those periodically. It will bog down the storage on your server, so you gotta make sure you also have a purge policy. Um, so you don't wanna have, you know, a year's worth of backups, and suddenly your site just goes down because you ran outta space. Yeah. So I think, I think having, and, and creating some policies to, to manage those backups will help prevent something from breaking, but it depends on how much traffic you get. So if you get a, you know, a ton of traffic. , then you probably wanna run backups, I don't know, every hour. Mm-hmm. , if you're getting somewhere in the middle range of, maybe you're getting, I don't know, 40, 40,000 hits a day or something, um, then you wanna at least backup up once or twice a day. And then if you're, if you're kind of a smaller business and, um, don't get that much traffic, you know, probably once a week or once a month should be more than enough. Ria, once a week probably makes people feel safe. That's Okay, great. I, I've loaded up some pages, but, uh, the whole system just crashed. Don't worry. We'll pull last week's. And we can go to archive.org to get some of that content that we just published a couple of days ago, or we can just load it up again since it's only two days or three days worth, of content that has to be, you know, republished. You, you mentioned, you know, this is the small business, you know, level, this is kind of medium, this is large. What are the, like the, the daily hits that would, you know, sort of, you know, define each one of those, would you say? Sure.  Yeah. That's a good question. Um, Yeah, I would, I would say if, if you're receiving less than 10,000 visits a month, then you probably fit into that, that small business range... If you're getting 10,000 visits, then you know, you're, you're safe running a weekly or monthly backup and probably not having any problems. Um, once you start getting over 10,000 to maybe, you know, 50,000 or so right around that range, then you're probably, you know, middle range, and then anything over 50, you know, it, it could be scary if the site goes down because, you know, as z as I mentioned, that's, that could be a lot of revenue if you look at each visitor, depending on, on how much your average order value is being worth. And, you're getting 50,000 visits, that's $50,000 a day that it could be costing you. And you can see what, your average visit value is, you know, in your web analytics. And if you're doing e-comm or even if you're doing lead generation. And you can get an average of what each customer means to you and what percentage of people who come to the website become customers. You can do that number and assign a value to every lead, every form fill, every chat, click, every phone number, click. You can assign a value to that. Um, and. Uh, it makes it really easy to forecast what new traffic could mean, and mm-hmm. , what a loss of traffic could cost. Yeah. No, makes, makes perfect sense. And I think that that's, I think a lot of people skip over that step to actually define what, you know, what their traffic is actually worth and, you know, what they, what they're true, you know, generating every day based off of, you know, whatever, you know, whatever that number of, of clicks, is. Um, Talk a little bit. Uh, so the second part was, the content generation, right? Yes. So, um, talk a little bit about your story of finding, you know, kind of your best solution, your best path to, uh, you know, create good content. Like you, you mentioned, you, you, you send these lists of topics or, you know, Uh, uh, sure. Um, search phrases, to your clients, but they don't know what to do with them. What, right? Do you have any suggestions on how to, you know, some type of framework and how to be able to, you know, quickly be able to create large amounts of content like that is useful? Or is it Oh, yeah. You know, going one by one that you just have to. You know, start creating content.  You know, we've, we've definitely had to figure it out over the years. Mm-hmm. , because of that same challenge. I'm like, Hey, I just gave you a thousand pages to create over the next, you know, couple of years. Send over the content, I'll load it up, I'll optimize it, and you'll start to appear for more keywords. Mm-hmm. , that's what we used to say. Um, and then some of 'em, plumbers and smaller businesses who come back and. I'm a plumber, period... And you're like, all right. So let's see. Uh, the question was about, uh, you know, leaky drains and what to do. Yeah. And that was the, you know, like the question. So I think, I think content starts off, of course, I always like to have everything be data-driven. So we look at, our search term reports from our Google ads and our being ads, and we figure out what keywords are actually driving customers in sales. Forget about volume. If there are 10,000 searches for a broad keyword like shorts, um, and you don't convert many of those, uh, but uh, a more specific keyword, I don't know, maybe, um, uh, I don't know, kids shorts. It's very specific and it attracts a specific audience of people who are looking for kids' shorts, and that keyword converts for you. Don't optimize your page for shorts, optimize it for kids' shorts. Yeah, you'll get fewer hits, but the hits that you do get will be better qualified. The click-through rate will stay higher in the search results. And Google will really note that u r l was the most helpful to the people that you were actually trying to get to it. Um, so I'd say start with data first, whether it's through search console, uh, Google Analytics data, your Google, uh, ads, search term history, whatever. Um, take all of that and start there. Match those search terms up to the pages you already have, and work on those pages first. Once you've fully optimized every page on yours. And by the way, that process as you're going through it, whether it's just a Google sheet or an Excel sheet, you know, starts with the URL and then page title, focus, keyword word, um, page description, heading tags, subheading, subheading, subheading, image, name, all of the different SEO O attributes, image alt attributes. All of those things can be tracked in one single sheet if you're bootstrapping it instead of using the software. Um, so you, as you list all of the pages that you currently have and all of the keywords you want those pages, to appear for, and then start working through each column to get it optimized and then publish it, that's kind of a. that's kind of a phase one in any sort of SEO timeline let's, let's optimize the pages we already have first, and then let's expand. Now, let's go out to some of these keyword tools. Let's use answer the public and sem rush and mm-hmm. , HRES conductor, bright Edge, whatever you wanna use. And let's, let's pull an aggregate, all of our competing keywords, SimilarWeb, and it's a crazy tool for this now too, by the way. So you take all of those search terms, right? You parse out all the brand names that still exist even after you run that little, you know, intersect to see, you know, the ones that are common among the competition. Uh, and then you take those, match 'em to the pages that you already have and say, okay, great. Here are the ones that we already have and what's, what's missing from our site that our competitors are getting trafficked for that we aren't yet. Uh, maybe you're a spiral staircase company and you don't realize. , um, you know, the, the keywords that they're looking for are the use types like, um, spiral stairs for basement, for attic, for the library. Mm-hmm.  for patio. Mm-hmm... Maybe that's how they're looking for the product that you sell, the uses of how they might use it. So you'll start to create content based on those uses. But to find out,  how they're, you know, finding you and how they're using it. You, you, you've gotta take a look at the, uh, the competitors reverse engineer their keywords, and then you have this universe of keywords. And from that, you know,, you study the information, you find common themes, and then you build a new site map. Either to augment your existing or to completely flush your existing and come up with something that's even more, more structured and intuitive. If you're building your navigation and your website based on how people are searching for what you offer, then you are going to just own it in digital marketing. But if you're building your website and launching content based on what you want to showcase, then it's a business card brochure website not meant for digital marketing, right? You should really build your navigation and your site based on how people are looking for what you are.  and, and building silos of content, starting with the most important, I mentioned spiral staircases, which might be a category. And then under that category, it's spiral staircases for the basement, library deck, whatever, right? Um, as opposed to just, Hey, let's just throw this content on a blog post, since that's easy and quick and, you know, and what happens that gets buried over time in an r s s feed. It doesn't stay in the same silo. And eventually, somebody sees.  from 10 years ago in the search results. I'm like, yeah, I don't think this is gonna be very helpful. Yeah. Yeah. So, so there's a lot of, a lot of lazy approaches in how keywords become content, that, that businesses should just take the three to six months they need to, to create. That comprehensive roadmap so they never have to think about it again. They know exactly what pages they need to have created and nurture over time. Um, and then you just put 'em all on, on a calendar. You have somebody whose job is to go back in and, and every month make sure that those pages are performing well in terms of keyword rankings, driving leads, click-through, rates improving. And whenever you see any of those different metrics start to.  then that gets, you know, a ticket created for somebody on the writing team or tech team, depending on what the problem is. Um mm-hmm. , you know, to address. And if you're smart, you're also watching, cuz you probably got 10 to 20 really important pages on your website. Right? You're smart. You're also watching the 10 to 20 important pages on your competitor's website using tools like Visual Ping. , P I N G, so that when they do make an update, change an H one tag, add an image, add a video, add more content, whatever they happen to do, you'll get a little notification and you can keep an eye on what they're doing and, and maybe even test some of the things that appear to be working for them, so that way you're not blindsided. And one day wake up and find all your competitors with these beautiful product tiles under the listings. And yours just is black text and a blue link. Yeah. So, um, I, I think that's something. Businesses should really get with their digital marketing team and company and say, what is our content roadmap? how did you, how did you put this together? Was it from our own data and from competitor insights? Um, and what's missing? What's the keyword gap? What are we missing? What are we not appearing for that competitor that we need to improve upon, and how are we going to track that? Uh, I think that's, that's a key element of content. And, and you're right. I think, I think in a lot of cases, you know, the, the, the client just doesn't have the time or the energy or. Desire to create a really great page and they'll create these crappy pages. You mentioned the Panda update. Thin Yeah. Thin content. You know, if you throw a paragraph up and you wanna compete against the page that's got 3000 words, six subheadings, four unique images, and a video on it, good luck, Yeah. Right. Don't waste your time creating a page if you're not going to make it better than the number one ranking result for the keyword you hope your page is gonna rank for. Yeah, no,  that makes, that makes perfect sense. W uh, uh, when you, when you go through, Uh, you have a new client, do you often run into situations where the client may not necessarily know who? You know, there, their top competitors are, or does everyone pretty well have, and, and you know, with that, how do you identify who your top competitors are? You know, do you just do a Google search for whatever your topic is and whoever shows up at the top, maybe they're, you know, doing a sponsored ad or something like that? Those are your competitors or is there, is there a, a deeper strategy to be able to identify, you know, who those key players are that may go after those long  tail keywords? You have 16 months of data, right, Matt? And, and search. You have 16 months, so you could, you could do a filter in the search console where you remove your brand name even, and see the non-branded searches that you're, your site's coming up for it. You could even look at the words that they use for branded searches. How are they putting in your name and what they were searching for? You can get a lot of that, that initial data right from the search console, go out to Google, perform a search for those keywords, the non-branded ones, um, and find, the competitors that are appearing for those search terms. Uh, and then you take those competing. If you put them into keyword tools and you might find some even bigger opportunities. Um, but you, I would start there, start with how people are already searching for what you do if you've been around for a while and then, you know, find those I competitors, the ones that appear for the keywords that you wanna appear for. I get that a lot from some of our clients. Like, well, those aren't necessarily competitors. The, you know, the Grubhubs and the Uber Eats, you know, we actually sell through them. Uh, yeah. But they're outranking us for restaurant delivery in our area and we want that.  and you're paying a premium to have them send your orders in. Whereas if they went to your website and ordered and went through GrubHub or, or yeah, Uber Eats through your site, you pay a different fee for that. So, um, don't you wanna save some money on that? And, yeah, outrank that competitor by having a better restaurant delivery page than them. So I think, I think a lot of times there's, there's that two parts, right? They know who their direct competitors are, but not who their eye competition is in search results. And then the second part of that is, is convincing them that even, even industry websites and, and, and retailers of their products are competitors, Amazon is every. You know, e-commerce competitor. Yeah, sure. And they win 90% of the time. So you've gotta get really creative to make your page better and more helpful and convincing. Because unfortunately 50% of the users are gonna go, okay, this is $59. Um, doesn't seem to mean any kind of sale or offer or anything compelling to make me want to click. Let me see what they sell it for on Amazon. Yeah, that's exactly what they do. They take that product title, they copy it, they go to Amazon, they see if they can get a better price, and now that company just lost what, 35%? Of the potential extra profit they could have had if they went directly to the website. So I think, I think it's really spending some time with the usability and conversion rate team. Even if you're delegating it to somebody who isn't an expert at it, um, get them some training. Have them go to some conferences, and read some books. Tim Ash has a great book on landing page optimization. Throw some sales principles in there, trust, reciprocity, urgency, and scarcity. I remember, um, a watch, uh, consignment site we worked with that, um, was like, Hey, we got a problem. We've got a ton of inventory right now, and I need to get rid of some, uh, because, you know, we have to keep this balance of what's coming in and what's going out. And we're overstocked We need to get rid of some products. So we put up, a cool little box. When you're on this page looking at a, you know, a $5,000 Rolex watch and you're, you're looking at it for four seconds. All of a sudden this little box comes in, not a lightbox. It actually pushes the content down. And isn't an intrusive lightbox and has a little timer on it and it says, mm-hmm, buy, buy this watch within the next 20 minutes. Cuz remember it's a $5,000 watch, um, you know, and save $700 or save, you know, 800 bucks or whatever it is. Um, so that creates a sense of urgency and there's this ticker going down that says, yeah, this is going away. Oh, and by the way, Three other people are watching this right now. Oh, right. Yeah. Yeah. So there's, there are some really creative things that you can do using sales principles to keep them from leaving and going somewhere else. But, um, but I think that's a big part of it, of, of content. It's not so much just having the better content, but it's also about buyer psychology and making sure that you're talking to the right people with the right. You're, you're not on a b to a B2B site saying Buy now. On your b2b, you're saying learn more on your b2c. You're crossing off your price and putting better pricing and, and, um, timelines on when it ends. And again, creating that scarcity urgency mentality. Mm-hmm... So anyway, kind of breaking away a little bit from overall content strategy, but that's something that. Uh, often gets neglected. Yeah, no,  That's so helpful. Um, then lastly, the, the tool or the, the, uh, connecting to other people that, that you mentioned kind of that third prong. What, what are some of the things that you've learned along the way, you know, for, for best practices there, you mentioned, you know, creating the content, uh, uh, that people would reach out and, you know, link to you, so you kind of take that work out of it? Um, you know, what are some of the frameworks to, be able to put that type of content together? Um, you know, making it valuable, putting it in the right place so that people, you know, can find it, who are looking for that, you know, tho those types of things.  Yeah. And, and have it support the lower funnel. Not be in its own silo. Um, so questions, what, when, why, where, how, um, ideas, tips, strategies, checklists, right? Guides mm-hmm.  documents, um, uh, all of those types, of queries that are being made are potential traffic opportunities for you. So I would, I would definitely take some time, to look at tools like Answer the Public dot. Go into s SemRush if you use it and click on the questions tab. Go into conductor searchlight, you know, and filter based on, um, on the upper funnel. Uh, filtering so that you're, you're looking at keywords where people are, aren't necessarily ready to buy or even considering buying, they're trying to solve problems. Those types of queries can generate a lot of traffic for you. Even, our little page on wire Yelp reviews or how important are Yelp reviews and, um, anatomy of a local landing page, right? All of those types, of queries. Our upper funnel, they don't necessarily drive customers right away mm-hmm. , but they can play a big role in, um, helping us to attract links to our sites as well as, um, uh, triggering remarketing so that we can bring them into the lower funnel eventually. Mm-hmm. , getting them to opt-in and seeing where they are, you know, and. In our own CRM and just continue to nurture, and nurture that lead until they actually become a lead. Um, I think that's, that's a great way. And, and so there's, there are a million different strategies and we've, what we've done, we've evolved ours over time. We used to say, here's, here's the, you know, uh, suspicious links we should probably clean up. We put that first. Um, Google's done such a great job recently of filtering a lot of that out, that we don't pay as much attention to it. So at the end now, um, here are where. The top competitors in your industry are getting links. So we'll take the top 20, 50, 100 competitors in your industry, uh, run them through, you know, um, a link research tool, and come up with a list of the ones that are linking to most of our competitors. Hey, you're a surgeon. Surgeon.org is linked to all of your competitors except for you, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. So finding, finding those, those semantic opportunities. So what we've done is we've broken it into two phases. Uh, we've broken it into quick wins. , right, which is three to four months of some quick wins. And then we, we've, um, have a phase two where we get into more of, The more challenging types of and, and more resource heavy types of link building. Now the quick ones are easy. The first thing you do is, fix all the broken links. If there's a lot of, you know, links coming to your website and they're going to four or four pages, let's redirect them to the most, uh, to the corresponding page that you moved it to so that you can get back those links. Uh, a major restaurant brand we work with had, what was it? 5,000 links pointing to. 15 different, four or four Veterans Day free meals pages. Wow. Wow. So we created a static, you know, URL. Mm-hmm.  an evergreen page. And we redirected all 15 of those four, four pages to, the new page. And we reclaimed 5,000 links almost overnight. You can log into your Google Analytics, go to content, um, uh, do a filter by title, and look for any title that includes not found. Take that list, put it in a spreadsheet, and then put a column next to it of where those pages should be. Set that redirect in place, and probably within a couple of days you'll reclaim a dozen, maybe a couple hundred wow links that you would've lost. That's number one. Unlinked Mentions are another easy way. Any website that mentions your brand but doesn't link to, you can reach out and say, Hey, it might be helpful to your users if they can click on our name and visit our website. Don't ask for the link. That's, you know, again, it's, yeah, it's a stigma about it. Right. Um, the other quick win that you could do, um, so we've got broken links, uh, we've got unlinked mentions. Uh, what's another really quick win of something that you could do that doesn't take a lot of time? You could do the same thing with the broken links.  competitors. If competitors have pages that went away and you can create a better page than what they had, then you can go back out to those websites that were linking to your competitors, going to a four or four page and saying, Hey, we've realized this link is dead. Maybe consider ours as a replacement for it. Mm-hmm. , ours is, you know, it's, it's up to date, it's 2022. It had some cool things in it. Yeah. If ever mentioned you in it. Right. And sometimes doing a little bit of that ego bake can help. Yep. Uh, then getting into the more complicated, let's get those links. Competitors have. Let's create some really creative ideas. Let's, let's create some tools, some calculators, and some features on our website that everyone will wanna link to. Hey, we're a design site. Let's create a color palette page that's super dynamic and interactive. It's gonna cost us $15,000 to do it, but we're gonna earn 15,000 links out of it, and the whole industry will be linking to us as a resource because of all these great tools that we have on ours. let's, let's solve the common problems that our customers have. Hey, customer service. What are the questions that you get every day? Mm-hmm. , let's create some answers on our website that could solve those things. Let's scrape Cora and answers.com for questions people have in our industry. Mm-hmm. , you know, and, and create content around those topics. Um, Some of my favorites. Um, progressive has a dress-like flow for the Halloween campaign that I love. Okay... I love watching how many people go to Progressive cause they wanna dress like Flow for Halloween. Yeah. Um, uh, when web design goes to hell, is this article by, um, was it the oatmeal? And I remember as a web designer reading, this graphic. And going, oh my God, that's so true. So many clients think they know so much more than we do about what we do, that we get to the point where we're just like, like, look, just do whatever you want. Yeah. But it's this funny comic that's earned thousands of links to it because of it. Resonates with, um, you know, with a, with a certain audience. And every day more and more people are sharing this and re-sharing it and, Hey, doesn't this client remind you of this link? Right? Yeah. Yeah. So, um, yeah, there's, there's a lot of cool ideas. You could do a Google search for great link-building ideas and or link-bait ideas and, and find a huge library, uh, that exists out there, ways that you can attract visitors to your website using, you know, link bait tools, guides, glossaries. Uh, you could do some cool things like scholarships. Community events are huge. If you can do a community event and then go to your neighboring businesses and get them to link to you, especially if you're a brick-and-mortar and you're trying to get people to your restaurant mm-hmm. , you can go out to all the other businesses in the community and, and invite them to participate. They're not gonna have time. They're not gonna have money to donate, but they're gonna feel bad that they have neither, and they'll at least give you a link in their blog post to help you promote the.  and how great would that be for Google to find hundreds of links to your site from neighboring businesses that are all linking to, with maybe even with your name, address, phone number, and a short description of what you do that might include keywords. Right, right. So I think, I think there's, a huge, um, unlimited, infinite, um, idea library of what you could do to attract links without having.  do a lot of outreach.    All right. So did you get a lot of value out of this one? I know that I did. I feel like topics like SEO are one of those things that pretty well every single business owner needs. But every single business owner struggles with it. It wasn't necessarily called out in the show, but I want to stress how important it is for people to be linking to your website. So when you think about this, this is just like humanity, right? If you have someone who's very, very popular, who has a lot of people, Who are connected with them, and a lot of people who want to be a part of them, you should consider your website the exact same type of thing, right? If you have a lot of people who are wanting to link to your website and, and posting your link on their website. You are a quote-unquote popular website, right? So just like if you're a popular person, you're going to have a lot of connections all over the place. The same is true with this, but typically a lot of people will approach this process in a very, very spammy type of way where they're. Essentially begging for people to post the link to their website, you know, on their website. So not very, very effective. What Steve talked about today was creating a report and what a lot of people end up doing with this report is they will put it behind a. A wall where you have to get, give the email address in order to get, be able to get this report. What Steve is suggesting is taking that same type of report and essentially just posting it on your website and giving it away for free, so that way then other people will. Link back to you. Other people will link to that report. They'll, they'll show that report on their website through the link, and then that's going to help your SEO as well. So different mentality, a different way of being able to use those types of assets that typically you're holding to yourself. Give it away and let people link to you to create that popularity and that way you're going to have this wave of SEO. The link-building ability that's gonna start growing and, and driving traffic to your website organically. Steve has a great special for us here today. Normally this costs about 600 bucks, but he is giving it away to our listeners for free. So if you go to the academy of search.com and use the code s e o, Steve, you'll get the course for free. Remember that was $600 and you're going to get that course for free by going to the academy of search.com and using the code SEOSteve. If you want to reach out to Steve directly, he can be found at SEO Steve pretty well everywhere. And Steve also said that if you ever have any questions like, why am I not ranking for this SEO term that they offer? His team offers Free advice on his social channels, and that is just Wiideman, which is at Weedman, W I I D E M A N. And if you want to understand what the wealthy do, head over to invest in square feet and sign up for the newsletter. We include additional tips that you can only get from the newsletter and we. Reveal investment opportunities that you can only get introduced to through the newsletter. We drop every Wednesday, and we are available on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.  

What if the qualities we look for in our salespeople - being agreeable, friendly, and eager to please - are actually hindering our sales and costing us profits? In this thought-provoking podcast, sales expert Jeremy Miner challenges the conventional wisdom that a happy and accommodating sales team is always the most effective. With decades of experience in the sales industry, Jeremy brings a fresh perspective to the table, showing how a different approach can "pull your clients in" and avoid the common pitfalls of traditional sales techniques that often trigger resistance in potential customers. From door-to-door sales teams to high-level boardroom negotiations, the insights shared in this podcast have the power to transform the way you think about sales and revolutionize the way you do business. So join us as we explore the fascinating world of sales psychology and discover how to unleash the full potential of your sales team. Get  access to a free mini-course called the NEPQ 101 Mini-courseSign up here: www.salesrevolution.pro   I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with some very, very, very successful people, and we were talking about legacy and what we want our legacy to be. What do we want to leave behind after our days are over? And a really interesting. Comment was brought up, and this is something that I think I need to share with everyone because it's something that not very many people think about. We all think about all of the success, and we all think about what we're going to leave behind and how great it's going to be for whoever it is, whether that be an organization, our families, or whatever it might be. We're proud to leave all of them. Things are behind to the next generation. This one particular topic, though, really stood out and made me realize that, yeah, you know, I have some work to do in this area as well. As many of you know, my father passed away when I was 16. He drowned in Cape Hatteras. And I'm not gonna get into all the details as to what happened afterward, but essentially this idea, this concept that was brought up was something that I lived through as well, and the idea is so simple. All you have to do is just put instructions in place for whoever it is that you might. Giving your assets to afterward. Tell them bank accounts, tell them, you know, plans who, who has what information, how, if you have a business, how does the business run? Who is responsible for what? Just planning out and giving that information to you. Heirs can be incredibly, incredibly powerful and they will thank you over and over and over and over again for having the foresight to be able to put all of that information in place and have it in one area so that people know and understand it.  On Invest in Square Feet, we unlock the secrets of wealthy entrepreneurship. I'm Matt Shields and my mission is to help business owners just like you, protect your wealth so that you can invest passively in multi-family real estate. Okay, so today we're going to have a really interesting conversation with a sales professional named Jeremy. If you've heard of him before, you probably know that he has some, we'll call it unorthodox ways of selling, and we'll get into this, but most sales trainers, most salespeople approach sales with a very. I guess the happy type of mindset. You want to be the person that is very upbeat and positive when you approach whoever it is that you're trying to sell to. And Jeremy teaches a completely different idea, and I can tell you from experience that this does work. This does get you more. Engaged with your sales prospect, so I'm not gonna spoil it. I'm not gonna go any deeper than that. Jeremy's gonna dive into the entire process, and how you can increase your sales, and it is completely unintuitive to what most people believe.  I remember the sales manager was like, Hey, Jeremy, just remember when they opened the door. You gotta be really excited, be really enthusiastic, and start talking to 'em about all the great things this is gonna do for them. But I noticed from the very first door, That I was getting all these objections every time I, the more excited I was, the more turned people, people were, more turned off, the more excited I was. We can't afford it. We don't need it. We already have a company for that. Uh, we already talked to you guys last month. I need to talk to my spouse. Let me think it over. Can you call me back a week, a month, or a year later? And I remember probably about seven to eight weeks in of that if I remember. There was this one time I was, I was standing on the curb. I was actually sitting down. I still remember cuz my legs, like when you, have you ever done door-to-door sales? Sure. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You know, when you go around door to door for 10 straight hours, your legs start to get pretty damn tight. Mm-hmm. , right? Like, it's, it's a, it's a workout in itself and you're talking like the middle of July, full humidity, sweat, drench down your back, you're at nine o'clock at night. And I remember one particular, it was a Friday night. I was sitting there waiting for the sales manager to pick me up. I'd worked 12 hours that day and made zero sales. So when you make zero sales in a straight commissioned sales job, that means you make $0. You can be better off working at McDonald's. That whole week I'd made zero sales, so I'd worked 60 plus hours, made $0, and I remember setting there, just barely married. Child on the way, how can I go home to her and say, we don't have enough money to pay our rent in a couple of weeks, we're gonna have to move in with your parents. Mm-hmm.  live in the basement. It's gonna be one of those guys. Okay. Yeah. My pride, I did, I had too much pride to do that. Okay. And I remember thinking like, you know, maybe. Maybe selling just wasn't for me. Maybe I just wasn't a salesperson. I was not born. I need to get a real job. Okay. And I remember, uh, when the sales manager picked me up that night, he popped in a Tony Robbins cd, cuz 20 plus years ago, people, believe it or not, listen to things that are called CDs. Mm-hmm, he popped in the CD and I might be butchering it, but he said, he said something to the fact that, that most people. For the simple reason, they don't learn the right skills that are necessary to succeed. They don't learn the right skills. Now, I went on to say that everybody's taught skills, but the people who fail are the ones who were not taught the right ones. And when I heard that it was like this. It was like the kind of the. Maybe the heavens open up to me like there's this light, light bulb moment, like, you know, like the God was speaking to me and sent down his messengers. That may be what the company was training me and what I was learning from some of the old sales gurus. Maybe they just weren't the right skills. Maybe they were outdated. Maybe they just didn't work. Very well with today's prospects. I never thought that that could even be a possibility. I was so new in sales, I just didn't know what I didn't know. Mm-hmm... And at the same time, my degree that I was going to school for magically thought heaven's behavioral science, and I was getting a minor in human psychology.   Okay, which is kind of important to understand in sales. I don't think most salespeople understand the psychological impact, of the way the brain thinks. And so I was learning from my professors that the most persuasive way to communicate was here the theory, but from the gurus, they were teaching.   It was over here. It was like completely opposite. So I'm like, how do I take the theory of behavioral science and how the brain makes decisions to do something or not? How do I take that and put that into a sales process? Mm-hmm... So that was my whole thing at that point. How do I do that? So I started learning how to use techniques that work with humans. So instead of pushing my prospects that trigger sales resistance that most salespeople are taught, I started learning from just the way human beings interact and the way they think. Psychology to get my prospects to pull me in where I didn't have to push when I started learning that skill. Selling became very, very easy and extremely profitable from that point. Are you with me? Yeah. Yeah, yeah,  yeah. So, so walk through an example of that, like, right? So I would imagine that when you first started out selling whatever it was you're selling, you know, as you know, knock, knock, knock on the door. , you know, Hey, you know, ma'am, we're, we're here, we're selling, you know, this product, and it's, you know, gonna be great. You, you're gonna get this and this and this, and Oh no, I don't want it. I don't want it. As you said, you went through all the different objections. What, what did that turn into after you started realizing this? How did that, how did that pitch change, would you say?  Yeah, and it's obviously different door-to-door than if you're selling B2B or more inbound leads. Outbound leads, which I can give different examples for that as well. But you know, what I started noticing is that the more I looked and acted and talked like a salesperson, The more resistance I was getting from the prospect. Mm-hmm... So I started thinking, even in those days, 20, it was about 22 at that point, how do I reduce that resistance? So I'm not competing with that in the first minute. Because if you're competing with sales resistance the very first minute, it's so hard to overcome that. You're just competing with objections the whole time. It, just makes selling so stressful when it doesn't have to be. So how do I reduce resistance? So as a door-to-door salesperson, which is gonna be different than if. Selling to a boardroom meeting. It's a little bit different there, but what I started doing is I'm like, Instead of wearing all these nice clothes that my sales manager taught me I should wear and like nice watches and jewelry. Cuz that just smells like what, right? Sales. Salesperson. Salesy. Yeah, exactly. Salesy. How do I, how do I get them to view me not as a salesperson, even in my wardrobe? So I'm like, okay, what I'm gonna do is I bought like a $10 Walmart watch. Cause I didn't have any money anyways. It wasn't like I was doing a fancy watch, but I bought like a $10 Walmart watch. I remember I put a tape. On my side of my, of my, my pants, I wore just cargo khakis. I wore a white New Balance grandpa shirt. Do you know what I'm talking about? The white new balance, like when you become grandpa age, you start wearing the white new balance cuz you want the cover. I started wearing those as a 22-year-old Okay. Just a regular polo shirt. Very basic. Had the company logo on there, and then I'm like, okay, what other things can I do? I got a metal clip.  like this with like a survey thing on it, so mm-hmm. , I think I'm more like a meter reader. And then I went and got a lime green and an orange construction vest. I'm not kidding when I say this. And just that alone, when they came to the door, lowered resistance cuz they didn't view me as a salesperson trying to sell them something. So instead of being up in their grill like I was, I was more back and I was sitting here like, Looking around the home, you know, kind of looking around like, I'm doing a survey, and they come, they're like, oh yeah, how can I help you? And I'm like, yeah. Are you guys the, um, are you guys the, the homeowners here very like, confused, like Yeah, yeah. We're the homeowners. What's going on? Immediately? Instead of like triggering sales resistance that most salespeople do in the first 10 seconds, I'm triggering curiosity. Okay. Just that alone, man. I could go into a lot more, but just that alone, right there almost, I call it the confused old man, because when you hear a confused old man, what do you wanna do? You wanna help you help. Exactly. Exactly. Help, right? You wanna help the confused old man? That's a great analogy. Just by that lowered sales resistance by 80, 90%. And then if you have the right questions to ask at the right time, you trigger to be more cur. One thing we all have to understand, this is just behavioral science 1 0 1, within the first seven to 12 seconds of any sales interaction you are involved in. Mm-hmm. , whether that's. Door to door, whether that's on a cold call to a company, whether that's presenting to a board of directors, whether that's in a home selling B2C or an inbound lead. You're setting here like we are on Zoom. Your prospects subconsciously, we cannot even help it the way our brain works. Are already picking up social cues from you. They're picking up on your verbal and nonverbal and body language cues from your tonality and what you were saying and or asking that triggers their brain to react. This is scary. If we don't understand this, react in one of two ways. Okay? So if we come across as aggressive, overly assumptive, and needy, you know what I mean by needy, right? You can tell when the salesperson needs the deal, right? Hey, do you have two minutes of your time or I can? Nobody believes you're only gonna take two minutes of time. You're needy and you come across attached. And you don't know the right questions to ask. It triggers the brain to go into what we call fight or flight mode. You've heard of fight or flight mode, right? Sure, absolutely. Everybody has. But does anybody know what triggers fight or flight mode? Most people don't. And as a salesperson, you probably want to understand what triggers fight or flight mode. So you eliminate that so you don't trigger fight or flight mode cuz then you're just competing against the Great Wall of China, I call it. Mm-hmm... It's like the great wall of objections you have to then break down. I'd rather not have a wall at... I'd rather just have complete openness so I can do that. So that's where the prospect, when you trigger fight or flight mode, as everybody knows they do what They get defensive. Mm-hmm. , that's flight mode or flight mode is they try to get rid of you and they say things like that, oh, I forgot about the appointment. Hey, I'm too busy. Can you call me back later? Oh yeah. Call me back Saturday night at 10:00 PM Okay, I'll call you back Saturday. And then they never answer. Right? Yeah. Or, you know, after we, we just don't need it. Uh, we're good. We already used somebody for that. How much is this gonna cost me within the first 30 seconds? You're just, you're triggering that. Okay. Now, once you learn how to work with human behavior, okay, we call that neuro-emotional persuasion question. It stands for n e p  q, and you learn how to come across more. In your conversations now when I need, when I say neutral, that means you're unbiased. You're not quite sure if you can even help yet. How? How could you even know if you could help it? Like if somebody comes to you and says, Hey Jeremy, I appreciate you. Let's say you're going in front of a boardroom meeting and they're like, Hey Jeremy, this sounds really good. Somebody you haven't even met yet. A decision maker. You've met with three or four other decision-makers. Now you're coming in, there's eight. Four of them don't even know who you are. And they're like, Hey, we are to use a vendor for this. Why should we go with you? What would most salespeople say when they heard that? What do you think they would say? Yeah, they would, they, they start going, oh, we're the  best at this, or You should go with us because we've been ranked the number one in customer service and we've, JD Associates ranked us, and our clients are this and this and this. That's why you should go with us and our competitors. It's in one ear out the other. Because why? Because every salesperson says that. So they just associate you with everyone else trying to stuff their solution down their throat that's ever tried to sell them something. So what I wanna do is I want to disarm that person. I want them to let their guard down.  because if I can get them to let their guard down, then they become open to what I'm offering. Mm-hmm. , if I can't, very hard to make a sale. Okay. Or it just prolongs the sales cycle by 10 times. Okay. So if they say something like that, I'm just gonna lean back and say, well, I'm not quite sure that you should yet. Yeah. You know, we'd have to understand a little bit. About what you're using right now in X, Y, Z areas, just to see if we could even help, because there are some firms where there's just not much we can do for them, and they're sometimes better off staying with who they already have. So for example, we need to understand and then boom, I want you to watch when you do that, the body language and the demeanor of the prospect when you say, well, why should we go with you? Well, I'm not quite sure that you should yet. , if you pause two or three seconds, they're gonna be like, mm-hmm. Yeah. You can just tell them, it's just it, you take over the status in that room. Mm-hmm. , because experts and authorities don't need the sale. They already have all these clients that are getting results. They don't need you. In fact,, when you do that, it's almost like they view you much differently. They're like, Okay. Maybe I should listen to this person. He doesn't seem needy. Mm-hmm. , because when you feel that somebody's needy, let's say you're, you say you're single and you're chasing after somebody, you're really interested and you just keep chasing them in the beginning, what do they typically do? Yeah. They're gonna run away. They run.  Yeah. But if you act like you don't need them, what do they typically do? Yeah. Then, then they're all over. Yet they, yeah. They want that. Pull you in more. It's the same thing in sales. I, I don't know why nobody's putting that together yet... It's just. Human Psychology 1 0 1. That is so interesting. So, You know, obviously, again, this, this can go in all kinds of different directions depending on exactly what you're trying to sell and the, the, uh, the, the platform or the median that you're trying to use it in. But do you have, a framework or a structure that you would say, you know, works pretty well in pretty well? You know, any situation too. Again, ki that that opening comment, that opening remark, is it, is it essentially, you know, I'm, I'm not sure you  should or, so biggest, the biggest problem with most companies and their salespeople is that their salespeople do not have a structured sales process that everyone in the company is following. everybody's doing their own thing. They're just winging it. And then the, the owners, the, the sales management are wondering why, oh, y you know, they're losing 30% of their staff every six months having to replace 'em. They just, there's no se there's no sales structure that actually works. Mm-hmm.  the reason why, our company has grown so fast, like Inc. Uh, I mean, it doesn't really matter, but Ink Magazine ranked us the fastest, or Inc. 5,000 list, ranked as the number one fastest growing sales training company, not overall. , but number one, fastest growing sales training company in the United States last year in just our third year. The reason that is, is because our sales structure, our methodology that we train companies, n e PQ works for any industry. Mm-hmm... When people say, well, I don't know. I know you train this company in that company, in this industry, but I don't know if it'll work for me. I sell X, Y, Z, and Z digits, and it has to be sold a certain way. I just don't know. All we simply say is, do you sell to human needs? Mm-hmm. ? Yes. Now, do the human beings you talk to, do your prospects talk to, or do they have problems? Yes. Or do they have at least emotional needs? Yes. Does your solution solve those problems and emotional needs? Yes. Then what we train you would actually work for what you sell, okay? Mm-hmm... So we use a methodology called N E P Q which stands from neuro emotional persuasion. Persuasion questioning. So from the start of that conversation, okay? From what we call connecting questions, which take the focus off you. Put it on them. Mm-hmm.  from situation questions that help you and the prospect find out what their real situation is from problem awareness questions. This is all structured, okay? It's not out of order. It's in a structure because it persuades them the most. It pulls them into the most problem awareness questions that help the prospect find out what their real problems are. One thing we all have to do, and we all know this, is that most of your prospects when you initially start talking to them, don't even know that they have a problem. , or maybe they know they have a problem, but they don't really know what the problem is. They know that something's wrong, but they don't know what the real problem is, or most of them don't really understand the consequences of what happens if they don't do anything about solving the problems. So when you learn what we train you, not only are you able to help them find that one problem. but you're also helping them to able to find two or three or maybe four other problems they didn't even realize they had. And when you're able to do that, not by telling them that you tell them what their problems are, it does what one ear out the other. You're biased, you're the salesperson. Your questioning allows 'em to see. How bad their problems really are, and it builds a massive gap in their mind from where they are. We call that their current state or current situation compared to where they want to be. We call that their objective state. Now, what's the gap in between all of these newfound problems that your questioning skills allow them to see they have, that they didn't know they had before? When you're able to do that, they start to view you. They don't view you like all these other salespeople trying to push something down their throat. Yeah. They view you as the expert, the trusted authority in the market that they're going to buy all of the time. So problem awareness questions help you and them find out what their real problems are, and the root cause of the problem. See, most salespeople can help them find a problem, but they're not able to help the prospect realize what the root cause of that problem is, and then most importantly, how those problems are affecting them. , personally, I'm talking even CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, how those problems are affecting them personally, the business personally. Okay. Then we wanna move into a stage called solution awareness questions that allow them to see what their future's gonna look like once all these newfound problems are solved. So they're like, oh my gosh, this is what my future's gonna look like for me, for my business, for themselves personally, depending on what you sell, B2C or b2b. And then we wanna ask what's. Consequence questions that allow them to see what the consequences are, the ramifications are if they don't do anything about solving the newfound problems, okay? Mm-hmm. , then we're, if we're in B2B sales, we're then either going to transition into the next step. That could be a demo. The next step could be a proposal. The next step could meet the board. The next step could meet the next decision-maker. Just depends on what your next step is in your sales cycle. B2b, if you're in b2c, If it's a one-call close, say you sell life insurance or something, just as an example, be the next step presentation. Okay? Or maybe it's a two-step next-step demo. Then the close just depends on your industry, and your process. We teach all of that. And then how do you present? How do you present back where it emotionally connects the dots? So instead of boring your prospects to death with like a 50 mm-hmm.  slide deck. About, here's our corporate office. It looks so fancy. Here are our awards. Nobody cares about that. I hate to tell you this. Nobody can give an S h I T about what your corporate office looks like or how many awards you won. They can Google that themselves and look at your company website. They do not care. You are just boring them. We wanna connect the emotional dots of their problem. , the root cause and where they want to go, and how our solution will actually solve those problems and give them where they want to go. That's what they care about. Mm-hmm... And that gets 'em to think results-based thinking. Over price-based thinking, because if you get 'em to think price-based thinking, you're dead. They're just gonna negotiate you down. You get 'em to think results-based thinking. They will gladly pay way more to your company to solve their problems and get them what they want. If they can feel like you can get them the best result, they will gladly pay way more. I can assure you that. Mm-hmm... Mm-hmm... And then we wanna ask what are called commitment questions that get them to commit to take the next step and purchase what you're offering to solve their problems. So that would be the sales structure.  in an overview, bunch of boring nerd stuff. I know. No, no.  I, I, I love that and I, I, I'm, I'm curious. Um, I, I think that a lot of people will go in, as you said, they've got their 50-page or 50-slide deck thing Correct? And go into this pitch and here's who we are, and we did this, and we have this and, and all of this fi Yeah. And finally, in the end, they get to whatever it is that they're, you know, they're, they're trying to sell with your approach. Would you, would you say you're selling in a boardroom? Would you walk in and, and, you know, start going into that? We're  gonna have a presentation up on the board, but we're also gonna take him... It's not like we're just going into the boardroom and that's the first meeting we've had. Yeah, it's typically a first-call discovery. If you're selling b2b, for most industries, the first call's gonna be a discovery call with some type of C-level executive. That might be part of the decision-making process, probably not right. And then you're navigating. You have to learn the right questions to navigate through the organization and bring in the other decision-makers. Forbes had an article the other day, about the average company in the United States of America, we're not even talking Fortune 500 or Fortune 100, just the average size company has 6.7 decision makers and or influencers. Now, even if it's not a decision-maker, what happens if you're selling some type of software? Let's say that you're selling cyber. And you're selling to a bank, say Wells Fargo for example. I'm just throwing out some. In some companies, not only do you want to get involved, the decision makers, let's say the CFO, F, or the CEO make the ultimate decision, I dunno, or the department, but let's say the CTO O is gonna be the one that's gonna have to train. their staff on how this new software works. They don't make the decision, but they're the ones responsible for training the staff. Do you think you probably want to get that C T O and the department head over there involved because do you think they can influence the ultimate decision maker on what they decide to do? Hell yeah. Because, the ultimate decision maker might not be down in the trenches and even know what their problems are. They might have zero ideas, they're over the company. They don't know what's going on in the cybersecurity part. So not only do you have to get the decision makers involved, you have to get the influencers because that c t O might feel his job is gonna be threatened by this new software. They could feel like it's gonna take too much to install it, it's gonna take too much to operate it, and then they. Shoving it off to the decision makers and dissuading the decision maker, and then the sales loss. So you have to know how to navigate and bring those other people in. But if you're in a boardroom, typically there's gonna be even other decision makers in there who don't know anything about you. You go in there and just go through a presentation, you're, it's like you're wing it. You're hoping and praying that something you said in the presentation is gonna stick and they're gonna magically buy. Uh, we call that. , you know, it's a drug. I love it. So many salespeople take where they hope and pray something they're gonna to say is gonna stick. And that's a hard and unpredictable way to close sales. It just, you have no control. So we wanna go in with that sales process. It might be an abbreviated questioning process, but we're gonna start off that instead of like, Hey, going right into our pitch. We might come in and be like, now John, I know, I know we've, we've met and we've talked about X and Y and Z. Let's, let's do this. We prepared something to go through on how we could. You know, the challenges, that Jim and Laura brought up the other day, but just so I don't go over things that they might have already discussed with you, what would everybody like to cover today? Just to see if we can actually help. Mm-hmm... And then I want to get like, well, we wanna cover this and we wanna cover that. And I'm like, okay, now I know where to go. And then I'm gonna ask more questions about that. I might start going through the presentation, but I'm also gonna stop and ask situation and problem awareness questions while I'm going through the presentation. So instead of a 50-slide deck, I might have that down to 10 or 12. My questioning skills are really pulling out more emotion. Cause that's where decisions are made decisions. And then I can close that. Dig you with me.  Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure. That makes perfect sense. Um, if you, if you could draw a picture of. Some of the results that you've gotten, right? Like what, what a salesperson's results might have looked like before they were going through your training. Look like after,  I mean, I could, we have over 7,000 testimonials, in the last 28 months. So, we train every industry. So Forbes says there are 158 industries and then subsets of those, we're in all of those at this point. So, uh, we have, we trained over 351,000 salespeople in the county. In, the last three years, over 7,000 testimonies. The hard part about getting testimonials from salespeople is they never wanna. Yeah, how they're outselling everybody three to one. It's like pulling teeth. Like we don't, we don't even ask people anymore. People just come into our Facebook groups or ads and they'll post like, Hey, I started going through N PQ a year ago and my income went from 5,000 a month in commissions. Now I'm making 25,000 a month in commissions. Selling the exact same thing. Or, you know what? We have this home improvement company and we were doing 5 million in sales two years ago, and last year we did 47 million in sales, like massive results. You know, that's why we're ranked so high on, the INC 5000 list because you can't have that type of growth as a company without getting crazy results for your clients. Mm-hmm... And that's kind of why it's spread from, you know, fortune 100 companies. We even have a few of those clients now, all the way down to celebrities like Ryan Sirhans, one of our clients, the Million Dollar Listing New York guy, we train all of his salespeople that sell real estate, and lead generation coaching programs.  Man, you know, wasn't that a great conversation? I know that I learned so much, and I hope that you did as well. So in today's episode, we learned just how important it is to approach the sales process from your customer's point of view. What is it that they're concerned with? What is it that they are interested in learning and fixing on their own? We learned how that typical, happy, upbeat characteristic that most salespeople have can actually be creating sales rejection before the conversation even starts. Success in sales is all about building relationships, and when you approach the sales call from a way where you are truly trying to understand what it is that the customer is struggling with, and what are their concerns, you're going to build a much, much deeper, more lasting relationship. If you're interested in learning more from Jeremy, I suggest that you check out some of his Facebook groups. Jeremy gives away a tremendous, tremendous amount of value for free in those groups. But he also has a free course@salesrevolution.pro where you can sign up and again, you get a free course called N E PQ 1 0 1 mini course, and he says that there are a few questions included in that mini-course, and just including those few questions alone to your sales process is going to increase your sales. And don't forget, if you wanna understand what the wealthy do, head over to invest in square feet and sign up for our newsletter. We include more content in that newsletter from our guests, and you can only get that from that newsletter. That is also how you learn about different investment opportunities in real estate and technology that we personally invest in. We drop every Wednesday and we are available on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.  

This week, we are pleased to be joining Jemerris Giles for the grand opening of his new gym, Gym 55! We talk about his background in personal fitness, what it takes to acquire a property such as his, plans for more gyms, and so much more!

You'll discover the secrets behind the massive global exposure and recognition achieved by companies like Twitter and individuals like Elon Musk. Our guests are two PR experts, Bob and DeAnna. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the strategies and tactics used by these industry heavyweights to captivate the world with their brands. From understanding the importance of PR in building a strong brand image to mastering the latest techniques, you'll gain valuable insights and inspiration that you can apply to your own PR efforts. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or just someone interested in the world of PR, you won't want to miss "The PR Power Play: How Twitter and Elon Musk Took Over the World with Free Exposure." Links and Resources: DeAnna's LinkedIn Bob's LinkedIn Bear Ice Box Website If you are interested to read the book, Lean Customer Development: Building Products Your Customers Will Buy by Cindy Alvarez, it's available on Amazon https://amzn.to/40qfGzC I'm reading this amazing book named Lean Customer, and one of the common problems that we see over and over and over again is that most Nors  Start a business...  based on their idea, and they're not necessarily solving a problem that the public actually has. There's a completely different mindset that you want to employ when you're thinking about starting a company. There's a really valuable story in the book that I wanted to just outline for you really, really quickly, and that story is about a business that sells milkshakes. So right away when you're thinking about milkshake sales, you're probably thinking about textures and flavor. Maybe ingredients. And that's exactly what this company did. They asked their customers to describe their ideal milkshake. Those recipes and ideas were gathered, and they started making those exact recipes that their customers said they wanted. And guess what? Sales didn't budge at all. They then discovered that 40% of their milkshake sales happen first thing in the morning. Remember, you want to solve a problem with your business. So rather than asking customers to describe their ideal milkshake, they ask customers what job they hired the milkshake to do. That question is important because it shifts the customer's focus from the product itself to why they actually purchased the milkshake in the first. So after reframing that perspective, the customers would tell stories about having a boring hour-long commute, how they weren't yet hungry yet to order food, but they wanted something that could hold them over until noon. Most of them were in work clothes, so they didn't want to worry about making a mess, and they only had one hand to be able to use to eat whatever it was that they wanted to. So think about the difference between each of those goals. Originally, our goal was to sell more milkshakes, and there are only so many ways that you can do that. But when you approach the problem from a problem-solving perspective, just think of how many more opportunities you're able to reduce the pain of your customers who are hungry, bored, one-handed people. Who doesn't want to make a mess of their clothes, you can branch out into all kinds of other opportunities like smoothies or any food that can fit in a cup holder and be eaten with one hand.  On Invest in Sqft, we help business owners invest passively in multi-family real estate. My name is Matt Shields and my mission is to help all of you entrepreneurs out there grow and protect your business the way that the wealthy do. Today we're gonna be talking about PR and the impact that it can have on your business. Obviously, companies like Twitter and people like Elon Musk use PR to generate massive, massive global exposure and establish themselves as household names. If you're trying to build a powerful business, obviously PR plays an important role in building a strong brand image and capturing the world's a. Today we have the founders of a trailblazing PR firm from Chicago named Bayer Icebox. Together, Bob and Deanna's clients have been featured in some of the largest publications in the world, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Lifewire, and Crunchbase, just to name a. They've helped international brands grow and establish their US presence. They've catapulted startups to new heights and even reinvigorated a tired old nationwide company to become a thought leader in their industry. If I asked you what you thought would be better working with a smaller PR firm or a huge PR firm, what would be your answer? You're going to learn that and so much more on today's episode of Invest in Square Feet.  I feel like a lot of people may not necessarily. Know what the difference is between a PR firm and a marketing firm. Um, can, can you elaborate on what the differences are there?  Including sometimes clients, right?? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. I'm sure they're like listening. I don't wanna No, it, it's, it's okay. It, the way I describe it is like, marketing is sort of a broad category. Uh, PR is sort of, uh, is, uh, a function of marketing, although, I'm gonna contradict myself. PR can also sort of be the quarterback that drives everything too. So the way that I look at public relations is, and the way we look at it, is, uh, really anything that you're doing that's gonna be public-facing, whether it's the thing people think about, or news releases or articles in, in publications or video interviews. Uh, you know, podcast appearances. That's all public relations. But also a lot of what we do for our clients is a strategy around how they're gonna message important things both internally and externally. So, uh, that, that's something that, that the bigger an organization gets, the more, you know, important it is to have that message when you've got, you know, we've gotten applied, uh, clients that have an employee base of a thousand plus or several thousand employees. They need to do PR internally. Like they need to figure out how we're gonna communicate this change to our employees. Um, you. We're fortunate that our clients aren't doing this, but as we look ahead to 2023 of people thinking about potential hiring freezes or layoffs, how do you communicate that effectively? Because what you're saying internally can become external very quickly. We saw with that C E o, I think it was from better, where like he had like the zoom mass firing. I can't remember if it was better or not, but that became a viral story where like, wow, he really handled that poorly.  It's interesting and I'm actually glad that you brought that up. I'm, I'm curious what your perspective is, right? So obviously Elon just took over Twitter, and when he took over the same thing. You, you saw these mass, uh, layoffs and, and you know, quite frankly, you know, kind of crass way of laying people off, like, you know, here's a picture, you know, in your email, you're fired. Right? That's like how some people were reporting. And, um, you know, when you, when you think about it, right? You know, from a delivery stand. The wrong way to do it, right? Yeah. But from. Uh, from a pr, from a, from a, you know, making a wave and making a push out into the market, like that's the stuff that people are gonna be talking about. And, you know, again, Elon knows that everybody has a phone or has access to social and all of that, so the more that he can get people talking Yeah. The, you know, the more he's gonna be out there. And, and I, I, I guess I'm, I'm curious what your perspective is on that and, and, You know, is, is there a, I know there's a thing, obviously, we're going through the whole FTX thing. There's a certainly mm-hmm.  a, a negative, um, you know, bit of news or, or, uh, a negative way of doing things. But at the same time, you know, is there, like, again, that that sort of, there is nothing as negative publicity or something like that, right? Does that, does that make sense? Yeah, no, I think it's spot on. Outside looking at it, it is an interesting case study in like, you know, different types of communication. And, and the reality is we don't know the internal numbers, but from what Elon is saying, people are using it more than ever because it's out there. Like, Hmm, i, I, you know, people wanna see what he's gonna do next. , it's obviously impacting people's lives and you know, unfortunately, people are out of jobs. But you're right from a pr, like a, like a, a media perspective, he is getting a ton of press for Twitter way more than we, than we got, than, than they would've gotten, like, you know, over the last 12 to 18 months. So, um, as a PR pro, I err on the side of, you know, I think it, it, you know, we're representing clients, so I think. It's almost like a lawyer where it's like, we can be really aggressive or we can sort of be really, really, um, conservative in our approach to arguing this case. We have the tools and the toolkits, like, how aggressive do you want to get, you know? Mm-hmm. , and I think that's the key is like, I'll have that conversation with clients. If we wanna be edgier, we might get more pr. The trade-off is we might get some Article headlines that we don't love, but we're getting pr, you know? And, I think that that's a conversation, just a double edge sword. Yeah. We had that conversation earlier though, because, um, we can get aggressive. I mean, we, you know, we're, we're following those types of stories and trends, but. Um, it's really the client's comfort level that you've gotta be okay with. And I, again, I keep going back to like a lawyer where what's your comfort level? How aggressive do you wanna get when we argue this, you know?  I think the reality is like you. There's no PR professional that knows exactly how the public is going to respond to something. Mm-hmm.  and in an era of social media, everything's so heightened that you are kind of rolling the dice when you go public with the messaging. But again, the trade-off is nobody knows who you are. Right. So I always say like, either, you know, if you're not out there in the public space, then, then you're, yeah, we have, we have friends who are like, I'm not even on Twitter and me. Reading and, and, and I'm thinking about getting an account now just to be in the note. Right. Um, and so to, to see that there are people who, a, haven't been using it. And now this is the only reason why you're interested in it.  Gotta be some endgame in his head, you know? We don't really know it yet, but there's some sort of end   I feel like PR is a tool that has helped build amazing wealth for countless companies over the years, but at the same time, it's a tool that is relatively misunderstood, I feel, by a lot of company owners. What would you say is one of the biggest uh, I guess misconceptions? A lot of people may not necessarily understand about pr.  yeah, I think the wrong way of looking at PR is that you're gonna have a definitive. ROI on this article or this news release, this piece, or this mention. And unfortunately, there are people out there that are looking for that and I always kind of tell them like, if it's not possible, right? Like it's, you're creating a broader awareness, broader buzz. You know, the things that you know, I think you should be looking for in an agency is like, do they have experience in your industry? Um, do they have experience telling stories? About companies like yours. Um, even if they don't have industry experience, I think they have to have some sort of understanding of how to create a campaign for like, we do a lot of stuff in manufacturing and supply chain logistics. We've had clients in that space that helps us. But even if we don't have a client in direct space, I think it's like, you know, we try to tell prospects, like, you know, in our experience it is something that can be recreated. So, uh, we. We find that like, um, understanding a client's voice, working with them to identify that, and then figuring out the channel. So it might be news releases if we have something that's relevant. One thing I wouldn't say is like, uh, and I'm seeing brands do less of this, is like, don't put on a news release every month because you feel like you have to, like, if they're not news, don't, don't. Otherwise, it just feels like, you know, a boy who cried wolf and there's not really anything there. Um, I think one of the things that. Must be doing is, especially like we, we primarily work in b2b, but like having a LinkedIn voice, not just for the corporation, but for other thought leaders in, in the, in the, uh, brand. Um, doing contributed articles in publications is super valuable. Doing podcasts like this, I think is super important. You're creating content you can share on LinkedIn in emails that you can share in, you know, with prospects. The, the, the, what you wanna get out of an agency is the momentum to create the kind of content across different channels that you can, uh, package and, and amplify your voice. Mm-hmm. And it's the energy that agencies give. So we don't, you know, we, we have some clients worked with for six years. We have some clients, we do a, a year-long campaign, six months. But it's that energy that you get for a third party whose sole focus is getting you awareness, whatever channels make the most sense for you. Yeah.   I, I do believe that the creative side of what a PR agency can do. Mm-hmm.  for you is important too. I mean, you can hire someone to write a blog for mm-hmm. , your LinkedIn, your website, um, you know, but, but what are you really doing? With this information that can be, you know, beyond like, it, it has to be, you know, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Like, not e evergreen. It, it, it has to be long lasting. Yeah. E ever e evergreen content. You're right, Dee. I mean, I think the, the, it's not necessarily we do tasks for our clients, but it's really more, um, The consulting part that I think clients find the most value in mm-hmm.  is like, what have we done? What's it worked over the years? Uh, what do we have, what kind of crazy ideas do we have? Um, you know, cuz when you're, our, most of our clients are marketing directors, chief marketing officers, communications directors. They're busy day-to-day with the minutiae of being internal at a company, or if they're CEOs or founders, they're even more busy, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. So I think., you're not hiring somebody to take things off your plate. You're hiring an agency to, try to push you and be, be bolder and bigger. Yeah. Yeah.  What are some of the things that people, I guess, should be bringing to the table if they're, if they're looking for a PR firm? You know, is there, are there materials or things that you know, they can bring or, or that they should have, you know, when they're looking to hire a PR firm to be able to, you know, again, communicate their voice, their message, there, you know, whatever it might be. Um, like what are some of those assets, I guess, that they can bring to the table, to help you guys do your jobs better? Mm-hmm. , if that makes sense.  Well, we look at ps, it's a two-way street. Mm-hmm.  at the end of the. Um, and what I mean by that is there has to be some back-and-forth communication. So what clients can bring to the table, whether it's, you know, the C M O or communications director, is time to actually give us the information that we need. Mm-hmm. , we can run with it, but a lot of times reporters. They, want to hear a voice. They, they, they just, they, you know, email interviews, those are definitely happening. Um, but sometimes they, they, they want to hear it from straight, from your mouth. And so to be able to dedicate that sort of time where even if you just give us a recording where we can have your information, um, directly. You about your brand and what your vision is and what your goals are, and what you do, who you serve. All of those kinds of questions are really important. So, I think time is probably the most important thing. If you don't have the time to actually apply yourself or engage with your agency. Um, good luck. Yeah. Yeah. You're not gonna get that my time is important, even before that. Yeah. So making sure you've got dedicated. But then, the biggest thing is like giving us all the materials we need, which would include, like, we have a client that gave us access to their intranet right away. And so we can look through case studies and comb through sales materials and training and everything. Are we using all that stuff? No. Like, we're not sharing that with media, but we, we, we are doing a crash course and who they are, what they do. So from there then we can have interesting ideas because we already know the foundation of who they are and what they're trying to accomplish. Um, sometimes, especially with clients who've never worked with an agency, it's like they feel like if they tell us something, we're gonna like go to a journalist right away and share all their secrets, you know? Mm-hmm. ,  and I'm like, just the opposite. We wanna know all this stuff. Um, you know, we're your counsel, like tell us everything. And. We will, will use our discretion, and work with you to figure out what we wanna share. But yeah, the more we know the better. And so, that also includes time putting those things together. Mm-hmm.  and the clients that don't work out. And we've had this over the years where it's like, you know, can you guys just, um, Just draft something? Well, we can, but if we draft everything, it's gonna sound like a PR agency wrote it. You know, like we, we need to Yeah. Need to sound like a, there there's a human element, you know, the public relations part. Yeah. Of what we do. Um, I'll also throw in there that, that sometimes going through the information and, you know, you're digging, you're researching, you're gathering it all. You might even discover pain points. Mm-hmm.  that. Organizations didn't know they had mm-hmm. , you know, where your material actually isn't getting the message across because of what you're saying to me right here mm-hmm. is different than what you're putting on LinkedIn. Yeah. Interesting. And so going through that information, and, and again, the, the, the time to talk through these things, you can, you can actually learn a lot about what clients are missing out on. And you say that one word or you know, you evoke that one emotion, and all of a sudden people. What I found is cross departments, like bigger companies, well, we say it this way, we say it that way. There's like no synergy or, you know, um, an across messaging. And so to Deanna's point, that might not seem like a big deal, but if it's like playing a game of telephone, if it's too, you know mm-hmm. dispersed across and, not accurate like it's, you know If you have a challenge internally, or externally, your message is probably not getting conveyed in the right way either.  Yeah. Yeah. That's really interesting. I never really even considered, you know, how, how, how powerful that can be to just get everyone, you know, sort of aligned and in that, uh, and, and all speaking, you know, that, that same direction.  So looking at some of your past clients and past relationships that you've helped grow, does anything come to mind when we talk about challenges or things that people or companies were trying to overcome, whether that might have been a miscommunication or P problems, either internally or externally? I'm trying to hone in and get people to think of it. What types of problems have been solved using PR that maybe they might not have necessarily thought of before in the past?  I think one company comes to mind. Um, we worked with them, you know, we, we, we remained close to there, their former president, but it was a, um, it was a big franchise. There was an acquisition. They basically were bought out a year and a half ago. Um, had been a 35-year franchise business, you know, but when they came to us, uh, one of my first sort of full-time clients in 2017, and, um, really what she said is we had, we had done some pr. Over the years, but really the last 10 years have done kind of nothing. So I thought it was an interesting challenge because there was like, everything was kind of like stale, what was out there. They needed a refresh and they chose to work with me because like, you know, she's like, we're gonna get the attention from a small firm that we wouldn't get at a bigger firm. So we, for them, our challenge was to get, you know, immediate exposure for her as a thought. Um, and to also continue to generate buzz for these new franchises they were selling. Um, ultimately, you know, it not to say like, you know, p uh, uh, you know, this, it was because of our campaign solely, but like over a three year period, like with a lot of buzz and energy, um, you know, they got the attraction of from a, a large in investor and we're acquired, right?   And so that's the kinda example of like, you know, getting the word out. When, when you're a brand looking to be acquired, let's say, um, you know, obviously those companies are doing their due diligence, checking you, your financials, but there's also like an emotional element. Like if this brand is out there in the public sphere, I'm seeing articles about them. I'm seeing 'em in the New York Times, the Washington Post. We're hearing those. It's like that can help when you're packaging your brand to something that really has value beyond just, the p and l sheets. Yeah. So, yeah.  I would say, you know, over the last probably year and a half, we've seen quite a few of our clients, um, go through acquisitions, which is really interesting. Um, you know, for, for me, someone who's, and it's bittersweet cuz sometimes, well, and sometimes the, you know, it's, they get fired and they're like, oh, this out. But, you know, we, we still feel like, again, building up on these stories and. Building up, the, person. People trust people. Mm-hmm.  people buy from people. Mm-hmm... And so when, when you can be not just a thought leader, I mean, that's a lot of what we do, but it's almost like, I don't know, I, I think of like your insurance guy. Okay. We know him on a first-name basis. We, I can picture what he looks like. Um, because there's, there's a person you're not, Going with whoever is the top one. Like you, you connect with the person. And so yeah, I think what we do a lot of, a lot of calls and a lot of conversations with our clients, um, it pays off when the person comes through. Mm-hmm.  and all of this messaging mm-hmm. , um, we can, you know, Bob's a, a great writer. I sit next to him sometimes and I'm like, you just put that out in like two seconds. Like, how did, how'd you do it? Writing is one thing, but you can't develop a whole personality. Like you, you have to build that up over time. Mm-hmm. And so I think the value of what we do and what we've seen with many of our clients is that that personality comes out and that's where people are finding the strongest connection. Mm-hmm.  and, and that as you're defining it, you know, personality. It could also be, you know, a combination of everything, you know, for a company. So that company creates, you know, is, is creating that personality, if you will, that feeling, you know, you can kind of know or expect what you're going to feel and get when you interact with that company. Would, would you agree with that?  Yeah, I mean, the biggest compliment we get is like we've, uh, we've got a couple of clients where like our team member. They, they'll just be like, you know, they'll forward something over and like, uh, you know, our agency can write something, right? So they realize that we've understood their personality, their identity, and sometimes we have to be like, is this really in scope You know, but, um, but yeah, I think the point is like the, the, the company has a personality and a brand. The best one that I see out there, one of the better ones is like, on Twitter, going back to Twitter is like, um, this is like an iconic example, but like Wendy's Twitter brand is just great, right? It's a, it's a personality. It's funny, it's edgy.  and I think a lot of brands are trying to try to like recreate Wendy's on Twitter. Just you can't really, you know, yeah. Can't do that. You gotta have your own personality. But I think that you're spot on. Um, you know, brands have. Identities too. And personalities, man. Yeah,  At what stage should someone start thinking about reaching out to a PR firm again, like, you know, when's too early? When, you know, when, obviously, you know, you, you said that someone hadn't really, Done any PR in the last 10 years. , but, but when is, when is the right time, I guess, to be able to reach out? Like, and again, you even mentioned like, don't feel like you have to put out news, you know, every day. Like there any examples of like, these types of things that you should be going through that you should be experiencing or trying to communicate? Um, and, you know, those would be the right types of things to do a press release or, you know, hire a PR firm to be able to communicate those types of. Yeah, the first thing that comes to mind is probably cuz we're working with a handful of brands in the space, but like when you've got private equity money and you're looking to grow quickly and maybe you're looking to acquire brands, it's great to have a PR agency because you're, you know, you're gonna have some news that's just like hard-hitting news that's, that's coming up. Um, that's a great example. Mm-hmm. , I think also, you know, sort of on the flip side, if you're like a startup, Looking for more VC money, or maybe you're in sort of series B and you're looking to expand another great reason to, to get PR awareness. Um, but really I'd say in terms of the stage like you gotta have a product to market, I think. Yeah. The times when it doesn't work is, and over the years we've taken clients like this and we kind of realized, you know, trial and error, right? It's like If you don't have a product ready for the marketplace, but there's only so much we can share with media, right? Mm-hmm. , there's like not a story there. Mm-hmm. , you know, you can only say it's coming only so many times. Yeah. So, and I think as media wants to see what kind of customer base you have, what kind of revenue you have, what kind of, you know, how many employees do you have? So I think like, I think there's a bit of excitement with, you know, brains that are just starting mm-hmm. and they think PR is gonna really get us there. And, you know, the, the missing link in that situation is a reporter's gonna say, Hey, can I test the product? Yeah. Mm-hmm. , can I see your website? Um, and if it's not ready, they're moving on to the next story. Yeah. Um, and then there's, or giving a bad review. Right. Bad review.  Um, but that's probably another reason why you might want a PR agency. Um, you know, if, if there is something negative out there, um, yeah. You know, whether you made a mistake in saying something or, you know, there's the situation last year of the, the C E O who apparently made her staff work at the factory, um, during the hurricane. Oh yeah. And you know, that was a situation. , I immediately was like, there's gotta be more to this story. You know, I don't, I can't believe, a person would say, Nope, you have to come to work during these dangerous conditions. Um, and, the more I read, I was like, oh, that facility was actually safer than some of their homes. So there's a way where that story just got, The wrong message about that got out, I think, in my  opinion, when perhaps there wasn't a PR council kind of helping. Well, I think bridging that along. So there, there are situations where, yeah, you might want someone to come in and help actually explain what happened. You know, tell, tell your story about a situation. I don't wanna say cleanup messes because, you know, if you made a mess, you sometimes do have to own it. Mm-hmm... Um, but yeah, startup brands, that's, that's a little bit more difficult, I would say. If you're starting a brand and you're really excited, um, there are definitely some things you need before pr. Now, one thing I would say is if you're an established company, starting a new division, or a new product launched, then it makes sense to have somebody on, you've already got revenue. Looking to expand the industry. We also have clients bring us on if we're looking to expand in a particular vertical. So one of our clients is really making a push in warehouse automation. Um, and, you know, we, we have experience in that field, so like, They're engaging with us to really sort of expand in 2023 beyond what they've been doing. So, yeah, I, I, I think that, hopefully, that answers your question, Matt. Yeah, no,  That makes perfect sense. Yeah. And, and, and Deanna you kind of touched on this too, I guess the, uh, the, the intended outcome of. Of PR is to essentially get other people interested in whatever you are doing, you know, other reporters or other bloggers or what, whatever it might be, uh, so that they start, you know, reaching out and, and asking you for more, so they kind of just spiders out. Is that, is that basically correct  One, of the reasons that people would want PRS to get the exposure.  and exposure in, in most cases can lead to web traffic, sales, um, you know, acquisition. Mm-hmm... Um, in, in some cases the c e O really wants to be the expert. Mm-hmm.  at this thing. Mm-hmm. , um, sales and everything will, will follow, but I want to be the, the person you think of when you think of automation or, you know, whatever their industry is. Mm-hmm. , so that's, that's also something. That folks look for. Yeah. There's a bit of a, yeah. Maybe a healthy ego sometimes PR, right? Um, yeah. But I, I think, I think you're spot on D Yeah.   All right, so we learned exactly how important it is to decide if you want to work with a small PR firm or a very large PR firm. Your experiences are going to be completely different depending on the size of the company. If you're interested in reaching out to Bob or Deanna, they can be reached@bearicebox.com. So that's B E A R icebox.com and both of them are available on LinkedIn as well. And that's Bob or DeAnna Spoerl, S P O E R L. We also have one. Amazing piece of information from Bob and DeAnna, and you can only get that in our newsletter. So make sure to head over to Invest in SqFt (Invest in Square Feet)  and subscribe to that newsletter so you don't miss a step there. And of course, subscribe to Invest in SqFt (Invest in Square Feet) on whatever podcast platform it is that you use.  

In this podcast episode, Brian has special guest AJ Osborne on to discuss all things self storage. AJ is known for owning self storage units rather than residential real estate. They start off talking about the different challenges that people face in life and how to most effectively face them. The majority of this conversation consisted of AJ and Brian discussing the differences between owning residential real estate and owning self storage. Self storage is in it's own real estate class and is different than owning residential real estate. They also talk about the similarities between self storage and residential real estate. If you're interested in a new real estate class, be sure to stay until the end!

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Molly and Jason are BACK from Miami to break down all the most interesting stories and content from the All-In Summit! (2:13) Then, they cover Argo AI, an AV company that just launched autonomous test cars in Miami and Austin (36:50). Finally, they close by discussing a recent Bloomberg report on how Amazon is looking to sublease 10M+ square feet of warehouse space... negative signal, or no big deal? (45:23)