It’s Time to Change What You Believe is Possible

P.S. I have since booked this gig, gotten 75% of the payment upfront, and have gotten my travel/hotel booked. 

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I’ve hesitated to write this post because as soon as you read it, you’ll say something like, “Thanks for the reminder.” Now, I know you don’t mean it in a negative way, but if you think this a reminder, you’re missing something very important in your life. If you are already living your “dream life,” this may be a reminder for you to smile about while you think about how far you’ve come. If you’re not, then I hope this is more than a reminder.

The truth is, we limit our self, our dreams, and what we believe is possible. I wish you were here with me, I’m screaming inside as I write this. Life and opportunities are SO much bigger than we understand. When I had my first $1,500-month in my online business, I was actually afraid. I thought it was a fluke or that people would ask for a refund. This year, I’ve had five-figure weeks. Not months, weeks. I don’t say this or show you this screen shot to brag. I want you to see that someone just like YOU is doing what you want to do. I want you to see that a bread guy from Wisconsin who had NO formal training built this dream. You can do this, too.

I want it to sink in that this isn’t a hobby. This isn’t something that you’ll forever be doing for free. You CAN make your online business dreams of freedom your reality. BUT, it will never happen unless you stop limiting what you believe and go beyond the “pond you swim in.”

Go After the Mainstream Opportunities

In the last two weeks, I’ve signed contracts to speak at events in Madrid, Spain, Marrakech, Morocco, Bangkok, Thailand, Tel Aviv, Israel, and London, England. The companies who are putting on the events are paying for my flights, hotels, an allowance for food, and paying me speaking fees ranging from $10,000 to $20,000. Again, please know that I don’t tell you this to brag; I believe in transparency. I also think it’s helpful to see the behind-the-scenes of creating a “Lifestyle” business. This is the kind of stuff I wish I would have seen/learned when I was building this business.

All of the events found me through one of my Entrepreneur Magazine, Fox News, or Huffington Post articles. They read my articles, checked out my articles in other publications such as Business Insider, and Addicted 2 Success.

I have sought out events and sent in proposals in the past. This year, I have spoken six times—all over the country. Every event this year sought me out. As I have consistently written articles every week, they continue to get a wider distribution as they get shared over and over again. It’s reached a tipping point.

The Importance of Exposure

I love Tim Ferriss’ podcasts. I’m a fan of Michael Hyatt’s blog. However, if I walked down my street (or yours) and asked people if they knew who either of these two incredible people are, 99% of those people would not. They are known and “famous” to us (in the online space), but they don’t have mainstream celebrity/name recognition. Ask the same people who Brad Pitt, Anderson Cooper, or Simon Cowell are—every one of them would be known.

There’s an important point here that has made all the differences in my business and perspective this year. Once I started focusing on getting exposure in mainstream publications that have name recognition, I was able to get exposure to mainstream opportunities.

I’m a fan of the New Media Expo conference. But guess what, they don’t pay speakers (maybe the Keynote speaker). I live on Maui, and it’s expensive to fly. If I’m going to speak, I want to get compensated. Yes, you can get business and network at an event like that, but what if you could do those things AND get paid?

When I focused on building in the online space—blogs, podcasts, and video interviews—I couldn’t go after mainstream opportunities because I didn’t have the social proof these opportunities are looking for.

Don’t get me wrong; I think you should “be everywhere” as Pat Flynn would say. You should guest post on blogs, get interviewed on podcasts, and network with other entrepreneurs online. BUT, you should also get exposure in mainstream publications—such as the Huffington Post and Entrepreneur Magazine—because these are household names that everyone knows and understands. This is especially important if you want to speak, consult and sell books.

This isn’t a case of either/or. This is a case of AND.

The more you can get mainstream exposure when building a lifestyle dream, the more doors will be opened to you. As you publish articles/podcasts on large publications, you will get your name out there and get the social proof to pursue bigger opportunities.

Today, I can pitch a conference or company and tell them I’m a contributing writer for places they read and know. That didn’t happen back in the day when I said I guest posted for “so and so’s” blog. See the difference? Use both strategies because the blog’s are targeted readers. Mainstream publications give you mainstream exposure. They compliment each other nicely.

You Can GO BIG

What I’ve done IS duplicatable. You can speak and get paid $10,000. You can book a $4,000 a month consulting contract. You don’t have to bust your butt just to make $1,000 a month setting up websites. You can reach far beyond this pond of the “Internet space” that we’re all used to swimming in. There is SO much more and it can be so much more rewarding. It’s possible when you do the work. It’s possible with focused effort on the things that will help YOUR dream.

You have a choice to make. NO, it won’t be easy. Yes, it will take time to make all of this happen, but the important principle that will get you here is focus. Focus on getting out of the overlap that happens when you go after the same blogs, podcasts, and trying to network with the same people on top. There’s SO much more outside of this space.

What is one opportunity that you would like to make happen in the next year?

P.S. I have good news. SO many of you have asked me how to get exposure through large media publications. You want to know how to get accepted and how you can leverage them to increase your business. I have finally created a course to help you do just that; it’s called, Exposure Through Large Publications.

This class (Yes, it’s a live class) doesn’t start until I get back from speaking in Spain and Morocco in October, but I have opened registration. The class is not cheap, and I wanted to give anyone who’s interested time to plan. Don’t worry; I have packed this class with a ton of value. AND, it’s a live class. Eight people have already purchased Check it out. Email me if you have questions. Get published on large media publications and leverage them. This class can help.