What I Learned From My $80,000 Lunch in Spain

There is an audio (recorded in Spain) below.

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If you are friends with me on Facebook, you’ve followed my journey from Maui to Madrid, Spain. I have to say, it’s been a trip of surprises that led to an $80,000 opportunity.

First, the company that hired me to speak was generous and booked me in Business Class the whole way here. The seats in Business Class on an international flight are insane. It was the first time I slept on an airplane.

Second, I had a seven-hour layover in Seattle, Washington and Amsterdam. In Seattle, I got to hang out with my friends Jody Maberry and Cathryn Hall Virzi—it was SUPER fun. I even got the chance to catch a fish at Pike Place Fish Market. In Amsterdam, I got to see some of my favorite sights.

When I finally got to Madrid, I was a little wore down. I came here with three main goals: 1. Speak at the company’s offices in Madrid and Marrakech. 2. Finish my fourth book, The 7 Choices You’ll Regret at the End of Your Life, and turn it into my publisher. 3. Talk to the CEO about speaking at the company’s other offices.

I had a lunch scheduled with the CEO, and I went into it super nervous. This is the CEO of a $5-billion a year company. At lunch, he was way ahead of me. He came to the lunch with an $80,000 plus expenses contract to speak at the company’s other six offices all over the world. I had to pinch myself because I just couldn’t believe it.

Over the next year, I’ll be travelling to train/speak at the company’s offices in Ireland, Germany, England, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Australia. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve process these last two months. And when I think about everything that’s happened, I get scared. The money, the opportunity, the travel—it’s a lot to process. Remember, I was a bread guy for 12 years, this life still feels surreal.

I’ve learned so much this trip. Mainly, DREAM BIGGER! I’m serious. I limited what I believed, and I’m guessing you are, too. When you’re struggling or not making much money with your dream, you lose faith or compromise what you believe is possible. I’m here to tell you that yes, it will take time. YES, it’s super hard, but you better believe it’s possible.

A lot of you have asked me about how you can do this, too. Here’s a snapshot of how to get your consulting gigs.

How to Book Paid Consulting

At its core, booking paid consulting is about finding a need at a company that you can fix for a price. It’s better to start local; chances are you know someone or some company that has a problem you can fix. What you’re looking for is a company where you can talk to the owner or president. You can’t go after huge corporations—you won’t get through.

Once you have identified a company or three, call and try to set up an appointment with that owner/president. Tell them you just want 20 minutes of their time and you will show them where they are missing money. Convince them that this will benefit his or her company.

Once you have the meeting, your job is to research. Find out how the problem is costing the company money. Talk to people at the company, research online, and come to the meeting with some hard numbers—not fluff.

When you have the meeting, present the owner/president with what the problem is, how it costs them money, and why/how you can help fix it. Tell him or her you’d like a trial run at X price (do your research, but you should be making at least $250 an hour). The trail run with a solid presentation helps seal the deal.

Yes, this is the cliff notes version, and there are a lot of moving parts, but I wanted you to give you something to experiment with. I want to see someone read this and go out there and pitch a company. I want to get that email from you saying you signed a consulting contract.

Remember, what you think affects what you do. If you believe this is all hogwash or not possible, you won’t do anything, and nothing will happen. If you believe the opportunity is out there, try this out. All the company can do is say no. That’s it.

I hope this helps, but more than anything, I hope 2016 is the year you break barriers. I hope 2016 is the year you build your dream to the point where it supports your family. When you do, I’m going to be your biggest fan and cheerleader.

Audio version:

What have you got planned for 2016?