3 Lessons on Overcoming Obstacles From John Dillinger

3 Lessons on Overcoming Obstacles From John Dillinger

Obstacles. We all face them, but entrepreneurs have them in spades. While there’s plenty of inspirational content that might help entrepreneurs face challenges, we’ve turned to a slightly more sinister source: organized crime. As you’ll soon find, if you’re an entrepreneur you have more in common with a crime boss than you think. A mobster always has the odds stacked against their success- and they have their fair share of problems to solve. Let’s take a look at one of the most notorious bank robbers of all time: John Dillinger.

John Dillinger


Long considered “The Original Public Enemy #1”, John Dillinger rose to fame in the 1930’s, in the midst of the Great Depression.  Dillinger was the people’s criminal. While other American gangsters inspired fear and thrived on intimidation, Dillinger was lauded for his quick wit, sense of humor, and his ability to remain calm under pressure. Dillinger’s main gig was robbing big banks, hold-up style. We join his story right after he was caught for the second time, on his way to Crown Point Prison.

Indiana’s Crown Point Prison was the strongest maximum security jail in the US, and Dillinger was its celebrity prisoner. With more armed guards per offender than any penitentiary he had ever been in, it seemed to be the last of Dillinger and his exploits. Yet even Crown Point couldn’t keep Dillinger, who broke free in 1934, within three months of landing in the joint.  Not only did he make his escape without shooting a single bullet, but he walked out the front door of the jail in front of his guards. His weapon? A small piece of wood.

Dillinger knew the value of the small things, even something as insignificant as a block of wood. He used his sanctioned razor to carve the wood carefully into the shape of a gun (it’s worth noting- some historians claim that the gun was made of a potato. The FBI’s files still insist that it was indeed a potato). The last step was a fresh coat of black shoe polish. With his convincing sculpture in hand, Dillinger performed his classic hold-up on the prison, threatening the guards as he walked right out the front door to his freedom. Here are the three lessons we can learn from this story:

Improve Your Mindset


Before Dillinger landed in Crown Point, the security of the prison was boasted about to no end. He was constantly being told that the jail was “escape proof”, that it would be impossible to break through the state-of-the-art facility. Instead of accepting these statements as facts, Dillinger blatantly ignored the hype, and instead shifted his mindset to figuring out how he could manipulate his situation to liberate himself. He created tools, investigated systems, and pushed his way through until he succeeded.

As an entrepreneur It can be easy to accept obstacles as “facts”, when in most situations, our challenges can be faced, skirted around, or avoided altogether. Instead of “can it be done?”, ask “how can it be done?” Move forward with confidence, and think outside of the box.

Plan to Overcome


We admit: it’s not all sunshine and wood carving. Just because you know what you can leverage to be successful, doesn’t mean you know how. Had Dillinger attempted to bolt out the prison door the second he realized his plan, there’s a good chance his Wikipedia page would be a lot shorter. Instead he planned.

When you have a big objective, breaking big goals into smaller, easily achievable tasks will help you reach the end game faster. Little targets that build up to the big target. Dillinger began his planning by breaking up an almost insurmountable task of breaking out of the country’s most heavily guarded prison into small achievable steps. Find the wood. Hide the razor. Carve the gun. Get moving.

As an entrepreneur you must do the same. You need to crawl, then walk, then run- in that order. The next time you are faced with a huge obstacle, break up your game plan into small tasks and watch your brick wall crumble before your eyes.

Do More with Less

We’re not here to say holding up prisons, or threatening violence, is the way to get things done in the business world. But we all know there are those days in the life of an entrepreneur that can feel like our obstacles are as impenetrable as a max-security prison. However, we’re willing to bet that you have a wood block lying around.

Startups and small businesses will always have to do more with less. It’s the reality of being a small shop, and it can be an advantage. How can you achieve your desired result with less money? Less people? Less time?

Survey your life for resources you have available, whether that’s extra time to work, a connection to a potential first client that you can leverage, or even an interest in writing that you want to explore. That one small thing, could turn into your next big achievement: your first product sale, client, or published book.

Dillinger’s Steps to Overcoming Obstacles

    • Improved mindset- Not if but how. Confidence can’t be replaced.
    • Plan to overcome- Break up a big goal into small achievable tasks. Maintain your cool
  • Do more with less- You will never have all the resources you need. What can you leverage?

We hope that you enjoyed the read, and that more importantly you find a way to leverage some of these tips. Visit us at The Business of Crime for more crime inspired tips for Entrepreneurs.

3 Valuable Lessons from Running a 3-Day Live Event

3 Valuable Lessons from Running a 3-Day Live Event

One week ago right now I was getting mic’ed up and preparing to hit the stage at Bestseller Summit Live, my annual event for authors and entrepreneurs.

Here are some lessons learned from running this event two years in a row:

1.) It is human nature to wait until the last minute to make a decision.

This characteristic is really on display with live events. Our attendance count more than doubled in the final 8 days before the event as people finalized their plans and definitively decided to come.

This makes planning for events difficult as there is a whirlwind of back-and-forth with the hotel to accommodate the number of guests with seating, food and materials. It can also mess with your head as an organizer as your event can look kind of empty two weeks out…and then BAM the final registration frenzy begins.

2.) There is no replacement for the connections and chemistry of live events.

As someone who has largely built my business and brand online, I can say for sure that there is nothing like being in a room of like-minded individuals to speed up the learning process and make valuable connections.

This is not a knock on virtual summits, webinars or online training programs (I love and utilize them all), but rather a reminder that at the end of the day people value connection and that is a big part of what live events are all about.

3.) Half the value exists within the audience and amongst the attendees.

I told our audience that at least 50% of the value they would get from Bestseller Summit Live would be from the audience members sitting all around them, not from me.

The connections made, collaborations being planned and even co-authoring of books that was initiated at the event proves this is true. So, as an event organizer it’s not about just having 3 days of “killer content” – It’s about fostering those connections and bringing attention to their importance.

If you are interested in publishing with Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, please complete this short application and we’ll jump on a complimentary Publishing Consultation.

To your success,

Jesse

3 Pillars To Become A Profitable Author

3 Pillars To Become A Profitable Author

It’s all a lie.

Whoever told you that you can’t make more as an author is not giving you a complete picture.

With the right strategy, writing a book can become one of the most rewarding and profitable things you can do.

On the other hand, if you don’t apply a proven plan behind your writing career, then you’ll join the ranks of many “starting artists.”

As a published author myself, I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum and I want to shed some light on this topic.

Here are the 3 pillars to become a profitable author.

Pillar #1: Your Book

As an author, your book is the primary vehicle for your message.

This is the tool you’re going to use to transfer your knowledge and experience to the hands of your ideal audience. You can literally give someone years of wisdom in a concise and easy way through your book.

Not only that, having a book is an incredible way to prequalify your clients.

By mentioning different programs, services and other learning opportunities, a portion of your readers will want to take the next step with you.

If they connect with your message, your potential clients will self-select themselves and take the necessary action to get in touch with you.

This makes enrolling clients much easier. It becomes less about you convincing them to work with you and more about them resonating with your story.

Your book positions you as an authority and you become someone people want to do business with.

Pillar #2: Your Business

Your book sparks an idea and gives inspiration to your readers on what’s possible if they implement what they learned in your book.

While your book can definitely make you money, there are other ways to monetize your expertise.

Your readers can go deeper with the subject with an online course and private coaching with you. You can also invite them to a live event or an online summit. You can even charge a premium for a mastermind group where your readers get to learn from you and connect with other like-minded people.

Having these options in the backend make your book a much more compelling business model. The options are limitless.

Ultimately, your business should fulfill the promise you made in the book. Make it real and give your readers the A-to-Z, step-by-step process to help them achieve their ideal outcome.

Pillar #3: Your Brand

One of the best aspects about publishing a book is getting inbound media opportunities.

If you provide a way for people to contact you, you can reasonably expect to get invited in different forms of media.

People can submit a short form on your website requesting a consultation or invite you to be a guest on a podcast, expert on an online summit and even a speaker on live events.

Once you have traction in the media, you can use that as leverage to make an appearance on bigger shows.

Whether you want to be on TV, on the radio or on stage, a book is a great credibility builder. Not only will it help expand your audience, it will also allow you to inspire people around the globe.

Bestseller Summit Live

If you’re ready to finally get that book out of your head, into the world and onto the best-seller charts, then you need to come to Bestseller Summit Live, October 28-30 in Los Angeles.

Click here to learn more and register.

5 Ways Authors Profit From Their Book

5 Ways Authors Profit From Their Book

There’s no doubt about it.

Whether you’re selling a product or a service, having a book is a huge asset for your business. It’s one of the best tools that a lot of world-renowned experts have used to successfully build their brands.

Not only does your book start a conversation with your ideal customers, it also builds trust and credibility very quickly.

As an author, your prospects and peers see you in a more favourable light before they even get in touch with you.

Having a book is an incredible way to attract and persuade your ideal clients to eventually work with you.

There are A LOT of benefits to write a book but for the sake of brevity, we’ll stick with the main ones.

Here are 5 ways authors profit from their book.

1. Passive Income Stream

One of the best things about writing a book is that you can make money from your work in so many different way.

Once you publish your book, you can leverage existing technology and create a simple yet profitable business that will pay you for years to come.

Brands like Amazon, Apple and Google will pay you up to 70% of the sales while promoting you.

That’s pretty crazy, right?

Also, you can profit from your book by publishing it as an e-book, paperback and audiobook as well.

This is a passive income stream because you only have to create it one time and it keeps paying you over and over again.

2. Generate Qualified Leads

In case you didn’t know, Amazon is one of the BIGGEST search engines in the world. And people who visit the site usually have an intention of buying something.

When someone purchases your book, they’ve raised their hand and expressed interests in your topic by voting with their wallet.

Instead of you calling prospects, prospects call you and that’s an entirely different conversation. If they like your book, they’re going to be a lot more likely to invest in your other products or services.

Your book is a great way to build a relationship with your ideal customers before they even get a chance to talk to you. They’re going to be the ones qualifying themselves to work with you which makes the enrolment process much easier.

3. Command Premium Price

The best way to double your business is to double your prices.

If your cost-per-lead and conversation percentages stayed the same, you’ll make more money simply by charging more.

Having a  book that positions you as a trusted authority is an effective way to command premium prices.

Why?

Because people want to work with the best. Having a book makes you more reputable almost instantly.

If you want to become a sought-after expert in your field, a book can definitely do that.

4. Free Media Exposure

Writers, reporters and bloggers need good content. They’re always looking for credible sources.

Having a book can make it so much easier for you to get on podcasts, TV shows, radio and even popular blogs.

When you are perceived as an authority in your niche, people start reaching out to you.

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on your marketing, then a book is the best bang for your buck.

5. Grow Your Network

Your net worth is directly proportional to your network.

If you want to connect with highly influential people in your industry, sending them a copy of your book is a great way to introduce yourself.

Your book becomes a glorified business card.

You’ll get instant respect. Influential people will want to do business with you because you’re a best selling author.

Having a book makes you stand out from the rest very quickly.

Bestseller Summit Live

If you’re ready to finally get that book out of your head, into the world and onto the best seller charts, then you need to come to Bestseller Summit Live, October 28-30 in Los Angeles.

Click here to learn more and register.

What’s Your Story? Make it Count!

What’s Your Story? Make it Count!

Today I want to shift gears and share an exercise to help you share your story in a new, authentic and congruent way.

Last weekend at the Legacy Leaders retreat I helped lead with Laura Gisborne at her beautiful palace in Sedona, AZ we all took 15 minutes to write “our story”. That is 15 minutes max to tell your life story, with the twist that you do so in an entirely new way.

The purpose of this is to break free from the looping and autopilot we all too easily run on and focus on telling your story the way that it is most real and true for you right now.

So, here is “My Story” told in an entirely different way than I’ve ever shared it before and I encourage you to comment and share your new story and/or how this exercise was for you!

My Story – Circa August 28 in Sedona, AZ

I fell in love with music and electric guitar from age 13. I played this forward to starting a record label at age 21 and touring America twice by age 23.

This showed me the creative side of business and I became a consultant, investment banker and eventually entrepreneur and CEO at age 27.

Simultaneously my love of traveling, learning languages & cultures and exploring relationships from many perspectives has provided myriad experiences that far exceed those which someone of a more traditional life path experiences.

By being comfortable, or willing, or thriving in uncertainty and seeming chaos, I have developed a large capacity to hold space for others and this has become huge for my work with authors.

Now, at age 34 I am confident in my career path and do work I love with people I admire. Others look to me for leadership and I always o my best to rise to the challenge.

My priorities in life have been to collect experiences and relationships, now I see the value in also accumulating assets and growing my capacity to earn as I learn, such that I may become financially free, debt free and ultimately wealthy.

Wealthy in the sense that I am secure in living the lifestyle I enjoy, able to invest in opportunities & experiences that are attractive and be able to support my family, as well as start one of my own.

Most recently I realize that my tendency in life has been to try and bend the world to my will, but that is an arrogant posture with which to approach life.

Now I see the value in releasing my attachment to the outcome, surrendering to the experience at hand, and in so doing being willing to play full out to the best of my abilities, in a spirit of self-love, gratitude, and contribution.

Now it’s your turn…What’s Your Story?

Dream Training by Colin Gilmartin – Book Launch!

Dream Training by Colin Gilmartin – Book Launch!

Happy Launch Day!

It’s always an exciting Tuesday when we’re launching a new book, and today that is twice as true.

Since early on in the publishing process, I knew Dream Training had the potential to be special. Very special. 

Colin Gilmartin, the author transcended difficult circumstances in his own upbringing and had become a nationally-ranked soccer coach. But it wasn’t just his soccer skills that the kids loved.

During soccer practices, Colin would integrate some of the teachings and lessons from such personal development pioneers as Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie…and the kids would keep doing better and better.

Which obviously made him look great to their parents!

From the cover design to the content, Dream Training: A Practical Guide for Today’s Youth to Achieve Their Dreams delivers.

Now you can get a FREE copy of Dream Training today only – because that’s what we do for the Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press community: Hook you up!

Get a Free Copy of Dream Training by Colin Gilmartin <= Today only

By downloading a copy and starting to read Dream Training, you’re helping Colin’s author dreams come true. Please share this with anyone who has children that could use some inspiration.

Colin’s personal mission, which we’re working on now, is to distribute a copy of Dream Training to every inner-city child in New Orleans, and even help them understand how to read and use the book.

To that extent we are talking with sponsors and local businesses in New Orleans to help improve the literacy rate and life outcomes of their at-risk youth.

That is the deeper mission of Dream Training and I hope you’ll support in your own way by grabbing your free copy today

Get a Free Copy of Dream Training by Colin Gilmartin <= Today only

And if you would like to be the next LE Press author, check out: www.LifestyleEntrepreneursPress.com

To your success,

Jesse

—————-

Jesse Krieger
The Big Easy VIP Day in New Orleans

The Big Easy VIP Day in New Orleans

Are you ready to take your business to the next level VIP style in New Orleans?

Join me on Friday and Saturday June 5-6 for a transformational journey to the heart of your business and lay out the game plan that is going to take you to the next level.

I invite you to join me for the The Big Easy VIP Day Mastermind in New Orleans!

There is nothing more powerful than having focused attention on your specific business and brand, sharing specific strategies that you can implement to dramatically increase your results fast.

The Event Begins Friday Night with a Cocktail Reception: 

We will begin our journey with an informal evening get together where we’ll raise a toast and get to know one another in a relaxed networking environment. This won’t be a completely passive experience however, as every participant will share a unique story or experience that let’s us know your “Big Why

I believe it is important to start from the inside and work out. With clarity on your motivations, intentions for the weekend and those of the others in the group, we will be poised to make the most of our all-day Saturday mastermind session and business training.

Over drinks in Downtown New Orleans we’ll take the first step towards greater clarity, motivation and focus to take your ideas and business to the next level.

Beginning Saturday May 16 we dive into the All-Day VIP Day Mastermind:

Click here to Learn More About the Big Easy VIP Day Mastermind

Inside an Amazon Bestselling Book Launch – Get Paid For Your Pad

After a couple months of working behind the scenes on Get Paid For Your Pad, the inaugural title published by Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press, on August 26-28 we launched an Amazon Bestseller Campaign and I’m thrilled by the results!

Get Paid For Your Pad is the definitive book for Airbnb hosts by Jasper Ribbers & Huzefa Kapadia. You may remember Jasper from Lifestyle Entrepreneur, where I wrote about his journey from quitting his corporate job, launching a travel blog and visiting over 50 countries funded by his Amsterdam apartment.

Here are some of the lists we charted on:

Get Paid For Your Pad – #1 Travel book on Amazon

 

#1 Real Estate Investment book on Amazon

The Blueprint Behind a Bestseller

We began planning the launch and building momentum behind-the-scenes even while the book was going through the final rounds of revisions. Our plan was to launch the book initially as a Kindle book on Amazon and then eventually as a physical softcover book later.  Big shout out to Tyler Wagner, bestselling author of Conference Crushing, who had valuable insight each step of the way. My good friend Navid interviewed Tyler about his strategy and created an epic (free) guide you can use: How to Go From No Book Idea to Bestseller in 3 Months

For the Kindle launch, Amazon has a program for authors and publishers called KDP Select that allows you to set your book as a Free download for a limited period of time (up to 5 days of free giveaway every 90 days). The way it works on Amazon now is that you can move up the charts for every download during the free promotional period. Then when the book switches back to a paid book, it remains in the charts and thereby has a chance to reach a broader audience.

The book launch essentially consisted of us emailing our lists and announcing the free download, having promotional partners agree to do the same, and running some Facebook ads during the launch window.

The Specific Actions We Took:

* I announced the upcoming launch to my list and offering some free prizes for everyone to go to this Facebook post and say “I’m IN” to download the free book on launch day.  Then I boosted the post with $5.00 on the Lifestyle Entrepreneur Facebook page and as you can see it got a lot of engagement; 162 likes and 140 comments

* Jasper mailed out to his list from people who follow his blog The Traveling Dutchman

* We had done a small pre-launch to give away sample chapters of the book and a free email training series on Airbnb hosting at www.GetPaidForYourPad.com and we mailed that list too

* Set up a few Facebook ads to drive traffic to the Amazon page for Get Paid For Your Pad while it was set to a free download

* Had a few promotional partners mail out and announce the launch on their social media accounts with the link to download free on Kindle

* Set up a private Facebook group called Get Paid For Your Pad – BOOK LAUNCH and invited everyone in so we could share updates on bestseller lists, announcements about the launch and give content members could share with their friends.

That is the majority of the actions we took to prepare for and execute on the launch itself. It’s important to remember that this launch is part of a broader strategy for Get Paid For Your Pad, which is to become the definitive resource for Airbnb hosts and offer additional products and services to them down the road.

This is the way to actually make money from a book, even if you’re giving it away for free on the front-end!

How the Book Launch Unfolded and Some Stats:

With our combined efforts of mailing out, announcing the free book on our social media and driving some traffic with around $100 of FB ads, we rocketed to the #1 spot on some smaller Amazon best seller lists within hours of the launch.

Total Downloads in Free Period: 1,716

#1 Travel book on Amazon

#1 Real Estate Investment book

#1 Bed & Breakfast category

#2 Business & Investing category overall

#194 in All Kindle store

Here is a chart of the download activity during the Free promotional period:

After The Promotion – Building a Book-Based Brand & Business

We left the book available for free download two full days plus a few morning hours on Aug 28 before switching it back to a paid book. But we didn’t raise the price back up to $9.97 right away, instead we made the book $0.99 for about 2 days.

This allowed us to make the most of our time on the best-seller charts with a deeply-discounted book. Since the original price was $9.97 and we made a few pre-sales to friends and family before setting it for free, the price discount looks even greater as it shows up like: $9.97 => Now only $0.99!

It’s also important to note that when you sell on Amazon it’s their customer, meaning you don’t get the name and email address. Since it is very important to build a list in any business, and especially so for a free book promotion where you’ll ultimately offer additional back-end products and services, here is what we did:

Free Audio Book Giveaway as a List Builder – We included a promotional page in the book just after the cover that says “Download Audio Book For Free” and then has a big image of the book with headphones on and another call-to-action link that says “Click Here to Download”

You can see what it looks like here, just click on Look Inside and scroll down to the second page. Notice how you can click-through and get the audio book for free even if you don’t buy the book!

We saw about 5-7% conversion rate from people who downloaded the Kindle version who opted-in to download the audio book.

If someone just gets the audio book for free, great! Now we’re in touch via email and they are getting great Airbnb training. But most people eventually get the Kindle book as well since there are so many illustrations, helpful pictures and checklists.

Concluding Thoughts and Building YOUR Book-Based Brand

Overall I estimate that more than 70% of the downloads for Get Paid For Your Pad were “organic” in the sense that people discovered the book on Amazon after we placed in a few charting categories. I figure that from my mail-outs and Jasper reaching out to his list, plus some friends and family sharing the link we got maybe 400 or so downloads. So the remaining 1,200+ came from people finding it organically through browsing the Travel sections, or Real Estate Investing, or Bed & Breakfast, or, for a time, even the Business section.

That’s a pretty good multiple of about 3x. If our own promotions accounted for 400 or so downloads, then the multipler is 3x to have those promotions focus on an Amazon Kindle launch…instead of, say, just directing people to your own domain to download a PDF.

Plus the book sales and visibility are just Step One when you’re focused on establishing a Book-Based Brand and Business. Looking at your book as an overwhelmingly compelling introduction to who you are and what products and services you provide. Books can make a BIG impact, and that builds massive good will with readers, not to mention establishes you as the most credible person they know on the topic (I mean you wrote a BESTSELLER on the topic, geez!)

So with this launch I am pleased to launch Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press in earnest and am already in talks with a number of authors who want the same level of personal consultation and marketing campaign design that we bring to the table. In fact, my vision is to have Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press be an ever-growing platform for author entrepreneurs to reinvent themselves and build new brands through publishing books on their glory stories and strategies

Want to be the next best-selling author published and promoted by Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press? Write me here and tell me your idea!

To your success,

Jesse

———-

Jesse Krieger

Founder of Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Press

Publisher of Get Paid For Your Pad

Connect on Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn

Lifestyle Entrepreneur Prologue – From The Jungles of Borneo…

Today I’m excited to share a preview from the audio book of Lifestyle Entrepreneur (which I narrated and just finished recording!)

Here is the Prologue of Lifestyle Entrepreneur called “From The Jungles of Borneo…”

Prologue of Lifestyle Entrepreneur

Here it is an excerpt from the book in case you want to read along:

Get Your Copy of Lifestyle Entrepreneur Today…

 

If you invest in yourself and purchase a copy of Lifestyle Entrepreneur today, just forward the receipt to me here and I’ll send you a free audio training series to help you get going and growing 🙂

1.) Click Here to Buy Lifestyle Entrepreneur

2.) Click here to send me your receipt and claim your free audio training!

To your success,

Jesse