Path to Richness As Digital Business Owner with James Wedmore

As the world becomes increasingly digital, more and more people are jumping on the online business train to gain financial independence and live their dream lives. And let me tell you, it's totally doable!

That's why I'm super pumped to share my recent conversation with James Wedmore with you. James is an absolute pro when it comes to creating digital businesses and personal brands, and he's had some incredible success doing so.

During our conversation, James and I had a chat about how to create a rich life through a digital business. We talked about building a personal brand, staying motivated and purposeful, and growing and evolving in your journey. We also shared some tips on how to avoid common mistakes that can hold entrepreneurs back from achieving their goals.

I picked up some great tips from our chat, and I'm sure you will too! So, join us for this insightful and entertaining conversation.

IN TODAY’S EPISODE, I DISCUSS: 

• The elements of creating a rich life through digital entrepreneurship
• Importance of understanding the stage of business growth
• Monetizing your digital products and building a personal brand

CONNECT WITH JAMES
Listen to James’ podcast: https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/a/2147510454/ePmfFHCx
Get instant access to the Digital CEO Dashboard: https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/a/2147550995/ePmfFHCx
Follow James on Instagram:
https://www.jameswedmoretraining.com/a/2147513459/ePmfFHCx

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Transcript

Mel Abraham  0:00  
Hey there, welcome to this episode, the Affluent Entrepreneur Show this one, this one's a special one because I got a chance to spend some time a fair amount of time with a dear dear friend of mine, James Wedmore. And we had a chance to talk about the elements of what it takes to live a rich life to create richness through a digital business. You know, if you've ever wanted to build a personal brand, if you ever wanted to create a coaching program, if you ever wanted to create an online product, James is the guy to understand it from when we walk through some of the key elements and the key pitfalls, the things the mistakes that people make, that hold them back from hitting their their dred green level. And we kind of navigate that process and we talk about what do you need to do next, and give you some resources that you can go and make it happen at an accelerated pace. So enjoying this episode with James and I on the affluent entrepreneurship. I'll see you in the episode. This is the affluent Entrepreneur Show for entrepreneurs that want to operate at a high level and achieve financial liberation. I'm your host, Mel Abraham, and I'll be sharing with you what it takes to create success beyond wealth. So you can have a richer, more fulfilling lifestyle. In this show, you'll learn how business and money intersect. So you can scale your business, scale your money, and scale your life while creating a deeper impact and living with complete freedom. Because that's what it really means to be an affluent entrepreneur. Hey, James, so good to have you on the show. Once again. It's so so cool.

James Wedmore  1:36  
Thank you, thank you for bringing me back. I guess. I guess it wasn't too bad. If it was that bad. I wouldn't have gotten a call back.

Mel Abraham  1:42  
So no, no. And in your in your kind of your use studio there and Sedona and everything. We just had a chance to hang out together, which was a ton of fun.

James Wedmore  1:51  
So I know isn't that great? Let's hang out in person. And then and then go record virtually.

Mel Abraham  1:55  
Yeah, but yeah, we could have done this cut done this live, but what the heck, we're going to do this using technology. But we'll talk now about why we were hanging out at the end of the episode and, and some of that, so this is gonna be fun. You know, every time y'all as if you've watched any of the episodes with James, either on his show, or my show, anytime we get together. Clearly, we don't know where we're gonna go. And it just can go wherever for a little while. And but we're gonna talk about entrepreneurship, we're going to talk about business, we're going to talk about wealth, we're going to talk about, you know, the things that you need to have in place to create a business by by design a life by design and what it took for him kind of the pathway that he took the lessons that he's had, I've watched him go from from basically multiple six figures to eight figures and what it took in the growth in their self love. 

James Wedmore  2:56  
Because he was spying on me down the street.

Mel Abraham  2:59  
I was I was I was showing up in his office just kind of like you know, you know, kidnapping him and we're just going and hanging out

James Wedmore  3:08  
like there's there's that phrase you know, keeping up with the Joneses next door it was quite literally keeping up with the Abraham's before he gets a Tesla I'm like that SOB now. I need one. Yeah, on and on. It went but there was it's been very awesome to to have our journeys like near each other and coincide and be like so close and, and good friends along the way when we first got connected ones that 20/25 Yeah, fall of 2015. I think it was I think.

Mel Abraham  3:40  
it was 15. Yeah, yeah. Wow. So go about eight years, dude.

James Wedmore  3:46  
I know if we would have had a kid did he be like in the like.

Mel Abraham  3:51  
but anybody gave him keys to a car already? Yeah, yeah, we we, this is the problem. You know, the people our lives say the two of them need adult supervision constantly.

James Wedmore  4:04  
Absolutely. I wouldn't have it any other way. Is a biggest Sham. And really, I do say that about you like we we get along for many reasons. But I think the biggest of all is something that gives me hope for my own future is you are the most immature, mature person I've ever met in my life. To me next to me, and I think the secret of life. I think the secret to the health and longevity and happiness is being a kid. And you have such a childlike energy in the sense of you don't take things too seriously. You always find a way to be fun to have fun. You're never like needing to be somewhere else that you're not I don't think I've ever heard you complain like truly. I complain about things more than you do. I don't think I've ever heard you otter a single complaint at you always have a smile on your face. And I think that's the secret. And I think that is so important. And I think we've just kind of mirrored each other and so much that way. And that needs to happen in our business, we need to be having fun in our business. I tell people all the time, if you're not having fun in business, you're either doing it wrong, or you shouldn't be in business. And I think that is an important core value for me. But maybe it is free. Maybe it isn't. But I like to have fun. And I good time. You know,

Mel Abraham  5:30  
I do it at first, I appreciate you saying that. I mean, there's probably a whole lot of people around me that might not appreciate that. But it's good to know that you do. But I think you're right. It actually is core to even some of the things that we do and why we do them. It's we want to have, we want to make a difference. We want to impact lives, we want to we want to serve we want to support. But if it's at the cost of the quality of our life, the fun the joy, if at the end of the day, I'm gone. I God that day is over and I'm saying that we enjoy every minute of everything we do. But if if the predominant feeling isn't joy and fun. Why do we why are we in the game to make money?

James Wedmore  6:20  
Isn't it funny to you definitely grew up on this more than I did. But we both grew up in a in an energy in a culture of like, pick the path that's going to make money. Yep. And listen, that time is done. Because today, more so than any time and this isn't just like opportunity, this is just fact people have found a way to make money doing anything. And that is pretty drew the fees that have compounded. And what what makes me so happy about that is it used to be compartmentalize, your happiness, your mental well, well being, you know, and your passion and your hobbies are separate.

Mel Abraham  7:08  
very much. 

James Wedmore  7:09  
So your job and you moonlight, your hobby you moon like your purpose, you moonlight your happiness. And it's like that's, that's baloney. And what I would say especially if there was someone younger listening is like more of that more so than ever follow your heart, follow the thing that already knows fun and like because I believe that is your soul that is that higher aspect of your self trying to lead you down what you're here to do. And leave it to Melodyne. And I'll just I'll just I'll just toot our own horns because that's what we do is toot our own horns all the time, where the most most humble and we will we'll we'll help you figure out how to make money. But there's, there's a way there's always a way the and the logic is there. Like I have a friend I just reached out to her today and during the pandemic, which there's so many pandemic businesses that popped up, she just started documenting her interior design journey of her own home, she was like bored. So now she's a frickin interior designer, but not just the traditional type. Like she's the online influencer, you know, interior designer, where she's getting commissions off of what she recommends on like online products, ecommerce, and stuff like that. And she's getting brand deals and all that type of stuff. And she's doing the consulting and interior design. And that all just started because during that time, she got really passionate about that. And now I'm getting her to fix some things in my house, you know, and that's just what it will how it's so exciting. So well saying our parents world anymore, you know, well.

Mel Abraham  8:45  
It's not it's not even my world anymore. You know, when I came up it was there was a single path you go get you, you go get the education, you go get the degree and and there's this pathway as an accountant, there was a pathway you go to the firm you go I'm a manager, you become a partner and and then you're you're beholden to this, this journey, the rest of your life. But I truly believe that we've been put here with a specific gift or specific gifts, plural. And it's our duty to whatever universe you want to talk about, but it's our duty to the gift to bring it to life in whatever shape or form that is and and yet we tend to for either safety reasons for fear for expectations of others, suppress the gifts and suppress our joy in the process.

James Wedmore  9:52  
And it's all baloney. Yeah, nonsense. And that's the work that's the process. You know, I I've set for a very long time and I I use myself as an example, because that's what I'm always doing is I'm looking at where my growth was, and said, you know, what got me here? What it attributed to this. And I've said for a very long time, your, your business is a reflection of you. So you grow the business gross. And that tends to be the last place we look. You know, and don't get me wrong, I'm all about you got to have the right strategy. I think Tony Robbins is the one who said you could head east all day, but you're never gonna see a sunset, right? So you got to have the right strategy. But who's running the strategy? And when you're in, you're in a space like ours, like where you become a personal brand. Yeah, that's even, that's even bigger, and the work for all of us to do, and the invitation and, you know, I don't know how far you want to go with. This is like, all that stuff you're mentioning has to go. It has to go. And I noticed all of that stuff. I did not want it to go because we all love to hold on. So I'm worried I'm even when I got there. I was worried about what are my high school friends going to think of me to? What is that first hater gonna say to what does that person have the same when they refund? What am I competitors gonna say I don't want to rock the boat, I don't want to say anything people aren't gonna like, or they're gonna be offended or upset or this and that and all of that. And it absolutely drops you in and keeps you in survival mode. And from survival mode, it's your leaning back. And it's everything is about how do I not? How do I not lose? How do I not do something wrong? How do I not make a mistake? How do I not fail, and then you end up doing the very things that you're worried you should try to avoid. Because you focus on that where your attention is. And when you start to realize, you know, everyone's doing the best they can including you. No one's perfect. failure is inevitable. It's totally inevitable. I'm still waiting for the first Entrepreneur on the planet to sit here and say I got I got somewhere significant without any failures or mistakes can happen. We spend so much time trying to avoid looking bad avoiding the mistakes. And that's where you waste all your energy, then you're tired. Yeah, otherwise inspired anymore. Cuz you spent all day trying to avoid all that to survive. Instead of just saying, truly and this is this is a not an easy place to get to, but it's the place you will end up and if you end up in this lifetime, you won the game, you won the game, there's a giant grand prize waiting for you at the finish line, which is none of it matters. None of it matters, what some stranger thinks of you. Versus the fact that you can have a roof over your head, provide for your family, be there with the time that you want to provide with them. Do the things that you want to do take them on the trips, do something that is making a difference in the world. Or do whatever that nega bot hater rate, complainer stranger on the internet is saying about you. When you really put it into perspective, none of that noise. None of those concerns on those fears, none of that frickin matters. If you're having fun, and you're helping people. And you're making money, do it like that? What matters right at all. That's the place to get to that took me a really, really long time.

Mel Abraham  13:21  
And for me, I know that there's times it's still it's still a struggle when I'm trying to pivot when I'm trying to shift what I'm trying to change. And there's that that creeping up of should I do this what you know, because it's easy to get comfortable. I could be comfortable the rest of my life. But I find that one, I feel the best when I'm challenging myself and growing. I also feel that I serve the best when I'm challenging myself and growing. So I start to look at and go. It's a win win. And nothing I do most nothing most everything. Nothing I do is terminal. I mean you all if you haven't heard story, one of the first first webinars I did that I was the talent in the tech. I was first time I did it. I thought it was a webinar and it was just my slides and my voice and that's it turns out that the webcam webcam was on and I had no shirt on. So and yet I still sold 30 grand worth of that's when I had ads. Yeah, grand worth of stuff.

James Wedmore  14:31  
I think that's because you had a bonus of Mel's at home workout as far as how do I get those abs? Yeah. That's amazing. I love it. You know, they've done studies on this. It's totally been proven but money is is a very ineffective low form of motivation. Once people have enough, the same drive and it's a different type of drive does not exist. This, when that's enough, and that will be this is something depending on where people are, you're either here now, which is the dangerous place, which we call no man's land, where you're not driven by those server survival things, you know, we've all been, or we will be eventually, it's kind of part of the hero's journey, that dark place, that dark night of the soul was like, I gotta figure my life out, I gotta figure something out. And now is the time and it's urgent, and it's important. And I gotta get serious, you know, those become blessings in our life, because they kind of cause us to learn or pay attention to something we've been avoiding. And then you get through that. And if you go keep some people, a lot of people, they get addicted to that. Yeah. And they will continue to put themselves back into those predicaments. Because it's the only way they know how to, it's the only type of rocket fuel they know to propel themselves forward. And I've watched people self sabotage, and get into these repetitive patterns and cycles, because they love who they are in those tough moments. But there's other types of rocket fuel. And instead of a an away from motivation, where it's like, I need to move away from this crappy situation. Obviously, no man's land is when you're away from that, but you're not compelled or pulled toward or drawn towards something like something that is pulling you forward. And, and if you just stay in that middle, that's a dangerous place to be. Because that's where like, you get comfortable. That's where you settle. That's, you know, and I love those cliches, it's cliche, because it's true. It's like, you know, if you're not growing, you're dying. Yeah. So let's just talk about the business not as personally, but I guess I guess every day we're getting closer to death. So there's a morbid McCobb thought for everybody. following us, which we're dying, we're all dying, but what's drawing us forward, and, and that gets to become something bigger, and it's usually bigger than us. And that becomes more what people talk about when they thought about their purpose. And that was, that was huge. For me, that was the big thing that took me from two to 10 million, is that I had been in the fear of I'm gonna lose what I created, it was a fluke, it's just a matter of time the shoes is going to drop. And I was putting my energy on that I was feeding that I was focusing on it. And it put me in this dangerous self preservation mode where I was just trying to preserve what I had. You can't grow that way. When I was able to recognize that it just went to like, here's what I'm here to do. So let me just go do that. And it was like, how do we reach more people? How do we serve? How do we put the best events on? How do we put the best programs out there? How do we create the best case studies, testimonials were results? How do we create the best podcast and that was that was just the focus. And that's where you hear those quotes, like, you get what you focus on. But so much of what we focus on, we are unaware of it because it's like, unconscious to us, you don't even realize feeding this fear, then you wake up. And you can't sleep at night, because this thoughts roaming. That's what you're focusing on, and you get what you focus on. And so the entrepreneur, the business owner, needs a vision. And we need to be focusing on that vision in intentional, crafted, invented future vision, that that's where we continue to put all of our attention because if you're not doing that, the default survival mode is going to pull you back into fear. Yep. And you got to train your brain to focus on what you want, what it's going to, you know, that's it's like worried it's going to, that's going to happen. So it gets hooked by that. And we all are humans. So we all have to learn how to manage that, you know.

Mel Abraham  18:50  
Without a doubt. And I think that this kind of speaks to something that I've talked about this idea of everything we need to do has to have an intentionality to it has to have. There needs to be a deliberate choice. And we tend to make the mistake of getting into a flow of a current, whether that current is the societal expectations, media expectations, parental expectations, career expectations, and we just go along for a ride and you know, brawny wearing her seven Regrets of Dying, said that one of the biggest regrets on as they lay on their deathbed in hospice was the realization that they lived a life that wasn't theirs. Now, like, look, even if I create a business that is half as successful as I would have liked, it's still 50% more on the journey that I belong on than 100% of the journey. I don't know.

James Wedmore  20:00  
Yes, that's that's huge. And I understand the the resistance that comes up for people because it's like, isn't it selfish? And I'll just save this. But it's what Matt was saying is just like is capital T truth? Like, who are you living for? Is this your life because you're the only one living it. There is other people in your life. But at the end of the day, it's, it's you, and it is your life. And no one else is ever going to live it. No one else is ever going to face the direct consequences of actions of choices of the effort, the work everything. But here's something I know to be true. When I figured this one out, this was such a game changer. When when there's this call to help people or be of service or whatnot, you start to get really fascinated about like, well, what what are the ways in which you can help people that really create change. And I'll tell you this, for someone who has a podcast, who teaches and on an online programs and events and stuff, the number one way that I see that people learn from me is by by modeling and just observing behavior. So when people are in that, like objection or concern of like, it's hard to put me first in what I want to do in my life. Understand that doing that helps the people you love, and the people you care about the people around you to do it as well, because you're showing that it's, it's a gift. And I've seen because I'm a very independent person, I love my family, my friends, but I'm also a very independent person, and that it inspires the crap out of them. They're like, James just always does what, what he wants to do. And he's just no if ands or buts around. And he's all still there. For us. It's not like an either or. Right. You know, so that's, that's a big one. But if, if that's not there, I saw some quote that's going on Instagram right now. And it's like, it's this guy's saying something like, I've never met someone who put everyone first who was also happy. Yeah. And it's wonderful to be their service. It's wonderful to be there for others. But you can't give when you got nothing. yourself. Yeah.

Mel Abraham  22:26  
I, you know, that rule, you truly have to take care of yourself first. And, and, you know, when it comes down to business, this becomes really important to think about. You were no good to someone, if we're no good to ourselves first. Yeah. And it's not about materialistic, it's about taking care of ourselves at a level that we can show up, you have a team, you, you you have, you know, a decent size t yet, you know, and everything, but when you look at it, and one of your team members, that they're expecting a child, and, and everything, so you got to look at it and say and realize that as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, and you have employees or team members or even contractors, there are families lives depending on you being at the best you can be. And I think you have a responsibility to that.

James Wedmore  23:29  
Absolutely. I mean, I have a personal assistant. And I had to start that conversation by saying, Look, I'm going to ask you things. And out of context, it's going to make it sound like it's going to sound like I'm a frickin diva. And I want you to know, where this is coming from. And that's not what this is about. This is about the way that this business runs, there are certain things that only I can do. And the better I do them, the better we all win. And if I have these other things on my plate, then it takes away from that and that actually affects everybody and it's just all about everyone understanding their role. And, and their function, you know, and, and she knows that because I don't I don't like asking for things like that, like, Oh, you gotta pick up my dry cleaning. Like oh my gosh, like who are you James.

Mel Abraham  24:32  
was the idea, you know, you dry clean things.

James Wedmore  24:35  
I know, I was just a made up example. I just, I just I just throw it away after a single use. No, I knew. Now that's a minima. But, you know, like we're at a point where we're like, we might need a house manager, no joke, and there's just like, there's a there's a lot I do in the business. And that's the big thing. key distinction like, and this is something that's hard to put into words that I really want people to get it. I stay busy in the business. But there's a difference between being busy in the business from a place of like, it needs your busyness to run, versus a business that has a certain level of success that allows for other doors to open that you get to independently and freely choose which doors you walk into. For example, it is a joy that Mr. Abraham would say, I would love for you to come back onto my podcasts that takes physical time, there's no way around that I can't have somebody else do it. So that becomes a joy of something I get to do. And so I stayed busy with a lot of those things, speaking at events and interviews and masterminds and whatnot, that I get to do then those are the things that keep me busy today. And so because I'm so busy with those things, like, oh my gosh, I could spend all week just like trying to manage the day to day things that obviously Today I'm at a level at a privilege where I, I don't have to. But I think that's also very important than the like person who stays busy in the business doing the things that are just a prerequisites for to like, stay above water, you know, and like, chug along, and I can get those things off my plate. I got those things as long ago. And people say, well, that yeah, that's easier for you, because you've done it and I'm making money, I'd say no, no, I make money because I got those things off my plate.

Mel Abraham  26:38  
I think this is a great point. And this is where we actually started to talk about this before we started recording this, this idea of entrepreneurs versus business owner, and then how we start to look at things differently. And I would add another element to this, I think I just finished a keynote 2000 people and talked about the fact that we're actually on two parallel journeys as, as business owners as entrepreneurs, and one is an earnings journey. And the other is a is a money journey. And so there's a difference between a business owner and an entrepreneur. And I know they, you and I tend to agree on it, and how it's viewed. How do you how do you see it? Because you've actually, you have you have the characteristics of both, which I think for a lot of people, it can be challenging to be able to straddle and move in both in both realms.

James Wedmore  27:42  
Yeah, I think I mean, I want to spend a good amount of time here, because I think it's been coming up a lot for me, and I think it's a very relevant conversation. I think today everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, and loves that title. And there's something very exciting about it. And there's a certain lifestyle that seems to be attached to it. But I work, like part of the privilege that I have is working, what a blessing. I work with entrepreneurs at every level, like for someone that's still trying to figure out their niche to people that are at $5 million. And they're like, how do I double this? Yeah, and everywhere in between. And it's, it's so awesome, but I only work with the online expert personal brand. So that's my bread and butter I love I love working with those people. And the reality is is like what I continue to see is a lot of them are really bad business owners. And I don't mean this disrespectfully. Even though it kind of sounds disrespectful, but like, they're just just bad business owners. And I think that's what gets a lot of these entrepreneurs into a lot of trouble is bad business owners. And I'm gonna make the case to say being a better business owner will give you a better lifestyle than the one that was promised to you. When you were sold on the idea of being an entrepreneur. And I think we love this word and keep calling yourself an entrepreneur. I don't it doesn't matter we use the term in my world called the Digital CEO. But the whole concept and premises we got we got to learn how to actually run a business like a business and I just see today with working with so many people and they come in from from every different area and like you know some of like learn from other marketers, gurus and stuff like that and some just figured out on their own and got to a certain level and why I keep coming back to like, man, like this thing is like a house of cards or a sandcastle built at low tide and it's like your one bad launch away your one bad Yeah are one great person leaving away from this whole thing crumbling? Yeah. busting at the seams. And you have to keep up this crazy ethic and work ethic and this, dislike manic nonstop hands and everything, eyes on everything. balls in the air hats on the head mentality to keep that going. It's like, Do you think that's sustainable. And there's something today that impresses me the most about someone who owns a business, and it's not the amount of money to make. It's not even the profit they make this is irrelevant, but it's not what impresses me the most. What presses impresses me the most, what could impressed me more than anything, is the consistency and longevity. Anybody can have a breakout year, anybody's really wrong year where they make good profit as well. But show me someone that even if they keep it at that number, or have consistent grow, year, after year, after year after year, and that, my friends is freaking rare. And it's especially rare in this space. I mean, it's almost like the music industry, with people with their 15 minutes of fame, someone's there and then gone. And nothing gets me like more excited today and passionate about everything that you and I both teach, then that being the magic pill for you. That it's one thing like let's say someone says like, I want to get my business to 300,000 a year 300,000. And I don't I don't mean this, like, I remember when I was there $300,000 a year in an online business? Isn't that much money? You know, if you had a 50% profit margin in your, you know, taken home, before tax is 150,000. Like, yes, you could sit there say oh, I'll go work, you know, in a corporate executive position. And maybe that's that's what I make there. I don't know. I don't know how much people will make today in jobs, right, but, but it's good money. And if you could maintain that, and I don't know what your thoughts on it. Because you're the expert on this. This is just like what my perspective has been, you just look at that isolated on one year. That's one thing. But I wonder what changes when that's what you're doing year after year with even 10 to 20% growth, year after year after year, you're doing the same thing, you're gonna do it better, this is what's gonna happen when you do the same thing, you're gonna do better. And it's gonna take less work of you to do it, there's so many people out there that built the damn thing. And it took all your time and energy to build it. And then when you ran it, you said that wasn't worth it, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze smell. And it's like, hold on, you just built it. And the thing that you built, you get to reuse, that's like building a car in your garage. And it took all summer and you drive it to the bank and back and said that wasn't worth it. It's like, you get a car for the rest of your life. Now you can drive it wherever you want. And you just equated all that summer building it to one trip downtown like that's, that's no erroneous thinking, you built something that you use again and again and again. And once you build it, you don't need to build it again. You refine it, you improve it, you tune it up, you tweak it, you, you customize it, you enhance it. And when you do that with a business, it gets bigger, it gets better, it gets more profitable, it gets higher conversions, higher performance, it gets even more fun, and a momentum builds. Because as you're producing that consistency, not only is it performing better, but more and more and more people find you. And even if it only grew by 10, which is a very conservative number, I think 10% growth year after year, and you keep that profit margin roughly the same proportionately. You just created something that's going to continue to work to require less work from you, but still bring in that revenue that income year after year. And like I look at that and Michael. And I don't know if this makes sense. But I mean, I know that made sense. But like this next piece is I don't look at the need to I have to go grow my business. If I want more money. You know what I'm looking at? I just look at time. I just give me more time. Yeah. Does that make sense?

Mel Abraham  34:31  
It's like it absolutely makes it dude. It's it's the same principle in business as it is in wealth creation. Same thing. Same thing. Time is our greatest lever consistency is our greatest, greatest fuel. When it's not the big grand slam home runs. It's the consistent. There's a study out there 10,000 millionaires and 30% 31% of them Mate became a millionaire. And their average earnings was only $100,000. And 1/3 of them never made more than six figures. So we keep swinging for the fences, versus, hey, let's get in the game, let's stay in the game, let's tweak the game, let's adjust it for our lifestyle, let's stay in the process and allow it to get a life of its own.

James Wedmore  35:31  
Not going. But then you so I say that's where we start looking at the energy of the business owner versus the entrepreneur, the entrepreneur, entrepreneur is driven by the new novel, exciting idea, innovation and creativity, which don't I mean, they'll talk about I mean, that's my jam. I love that. But as soon as the novelty wears off, as soon as it's not passionate anymore, or exciting, it's on to the next thing, and they're starting over. And there's like, really the secret weapon, as we're saying is, is that consistency. And if if this was just this consistent thing, like if you give this by the end, I know that's the one thing I'm not like, it's gonna take five years. But if you're doing this, the same thing you're doing for five years, and you're growing 1020, and a lot of people grow way more than that. And we've seen people that are like, three to 5x in their businesses in a year. We just interviewed a play on podcasts. Last year, she had 500, ollars, her name in it, and she has a multi seven figure business this year. It's like it's frickin unbelievable. Some of these case studies are coming in people were getting their first million in two years. So I'm I'm just talking conservative, like, not like you've hit a jackpot accidentally chose the perfect niche and the stars aligned and all these things in an unreplicated way. I'm saying like, anyone putting something out there that can build a multiple six figure that grows consistently over time. Wow, that's so vital. And that is I've been doing this for 16 years. And I look back and I go that I can't ignore that as the consistency and I will do an event. I will do a webinar, I'll do a training. And I'll say raise your hand. If you ever join any of my YouTube products like Video Traffic Academy, and 25% of the room goes hands go up. That was 2011. Yep. Are you kidding me? Like, let this blow your mind for a moment. You could be doing something to this month in 2023. That causes someone 10 years from now, to give you money. That's what I'm talking about, like people that buy my stuff today because like I bought that program 10 years ago, 12 years ago, it was amazing. I saw something else didn't wasn't for me. But I saw this. And I had no I had to have it. Wow, these are the sexy things. You know, they're just people want to talk about the latest lamest AI funnel or whatever. Great. That's wonderful. But let's learn how to be a frickin business owner and you will get the lifestyle that is being sold as being an entrepreneur, I guarantee it.

Mel Abraham  38:20  
By look, I couldn't agree more. I mean, I've obviously not focused just in the in the online space. I've helped build businesses that are very traditional one of the companies is founded in the 1880s. Okay, they're fifth generation, we built it up to 200. Well, 300 million this year. 

James Wedmore  38:39  
So how old were you at company was was founded, I forget, you know.

Mel Abraham  38:45  
I was I was still in diapers when we founded it. I mean, on the board now I think 20 years? Wow. Yeah. And we built it. Back then we were doing about 20 25 million in revenue. And we're doing 300 Now and about olds. It's an all time business. It's a traditional business, there's this tremendous amount of overhead and tremendous amount of labor. But the principles are the same. The beautiful thing for those that are listening those that are looking at the online space and looking at the digital space and and the things that you're doing is the barriers to entry that hadn't ever been lower. The access to reach has never been higher. Yeah, and the difference that makes the difference is exactly what you're saying. Getting in the game and consistently staying in the game.

James Wedmore  39:40  
Yeah, because anybody can get in. Yeah. And show people that you're not just one of those people that I got in because it was easy. And I someone told me it was quick. And it's and it really like breaks my heart because I see how many of those people are out there that want to do it. But only want to do it if it's quick and easy. And I am I'm so happy to but it's it's not quick and easy. You know? Can it be simple? Can it happen faster than you could even expect it? You frickin betcha. Will it take something from you? Most likely? Yes. Will it give you something that is worth it? 1,000,000% I mean, I look at me without a doubt. And it's like, I cannot help but be consumed by gratitude on a moment by moment basis. And I spent a lot of years struggling a lot of five years of just nothing. I mean, moved back in with mom and dad had nothing in my name. And then it was three years of like, 10,000 a year, like no CPA would even take money because they're like, what's the point in kid like, you're below poverty line, like, I don't want to waste my time with you, you know, do your own taxes, and, and now, you're, you're making eight figures, I have seven properties more I want to buy. I live in my 5500 square foot dream house, on two acres, was a horse ranch, I don't need all that land. But I liked the house. And in my dream town, I mean, like, and all of that becomes possible. And it was like, I've, I've reached a point in my life, which was a hard thing. In a beautiful way, I was like, that would be on what I thought was even possible when I started. And then you have to kind of create a whole new vision, which, like I said, is more about a purpose driven than just like, oh, stuff I want, you know, more money or something, but, and then that's what allows even more to come in, but it's worth it. 

Mel Abraham  41:42  
Especially when you're having fun, you know, we will and because with the fun, it doesn't feel like we're gonna you know, not everything is, is enjoyable. But if I look at my life, in 80% 85% of the time, I enjoy what I do, I love what I do, I love the people I talk to I love being able to serve, I love to be able to see light bulbs go on, I love to be able to see the dreams come and true. And and to know that if there was just a little seed that came from me, then I'm doing what I was put here to do. Amen. And I think that's the thing that that we ought to, to really look at it if you want there. Some of you out there are probably sitting back and saying, I have this yearning, I have this desire, I have this idea I have this wanting Well, it's now's the time to really look at it and say, well, when is there a better time for us to to do this Wait, is there a better time to maybe get some guidance to, to sit back and say, I'm going to choose the path that I know I'm called to choose. And to find a life that I want to find. I mean, James and I used to be near neighbors, he lives in a different town. Now he lives in a different environment. Now I'm by the water, he's by the mouth, it's okay. But it's a life of his choosing. It's a life of my choosing. And we get to live it each and every day. And I don't I don't take it lightly. It's a privilege, it's a blessing. It's an honor. But it was worked for consistently over time. And, and and I don't know, I don't think that anyone is exempt from it. It's it may be this is my idealistic view. But I but even if it's not easy, it is a simple process. But we have to stay in the process, we have to stay in the game. And we have to do the things that that business owners do to give us the things that business owners deserve. And part of that is creating value and changing solutions for people and, and doing it consistently over time. And, and then doing the right things. To have karma come back to us in a way that that pays us in spades.

James Wedmore  43:58  
Well, you know, it's like if someone came to us and said, you know, Mel James, I want to get into the best shape of my life, or I want to lose a little bit of extra weight. And we said, okay, every day, I want you to do intermittent fasting. So you don't have your first meal until, you know, six or seven hours off to get up. I want to make sure you drink at least one gallon of water. And I want you to do inner interval training, sprinting every other day and 30 minutes of weight training on those on those in between days, and you take one day off. And we want you to do that every day. For six months. You could say that is very simple. Very clear. And the thing where it gets hard is those days that you don't want to do it. The days you want to the days where you did give up and then you got to still try and get back on it the next day. And business is the same thing where it's it's actually really frickin stupid simple. This business specifically, is stupid, simple. And we overcomplicate it, and then everyone else overcomplicated it for you. And then it's not a straight line of growth, where you're gonna meet your match somewhere, we all have our match. For some people, the their match that they've met is right at the starting line, just getting started just putting it out there. For some, they're like, I'm ready, that's easy. And then it's like, selling, or scaling, or getting it to six figures or getting into something. Everyone's gonna meet their match, everyone's gonna have your I promise you, you're gonna have your opportunity to be humbled and learn some lessons. where that is, I do not know, you will know what when you see it, but it is inevitable. And the reality is, is it is still simple, it becomes hard for everybody, at some point, because when anyone does something they've never done before, you're gonna have to venture out of your village of safety and familiarity into the forest of the unknown, where you face the treacherous preachers of ambiguity. I don't know what sent out here. I don't know what I don't know. I don't know what pitfalls and traps and dangers await for me. And that is inevitable, but it's simple. Attract Your audience, sell them what they want. That is the most simple, we could ever make it any easier than that. It does not get any easier to attract your audience. I mean, Mel is a great example. You know, I always tease him and say like, you know, if if everyone that actually knew you, followed you on social media, you'd probably have like, 200,000 followers that he has, like 10. And I mean, I'm going to use my sister because this is this has been the full circle joyful moment. My sister buys the DVD a year ago. We're actually the year before. So 2021 She buys DVD, by the way, she she buys it calls me and says, James, I didn't get a welcome email, I don't I don't get access to your program. I didn't get any information. I'm like, Hold on, let me let me get to the bottom of this. Well, the reason she didn't get any information is because I had already gifted her the program. Like two years prior, she had never opened it. She didn't even watch the frickin welcome video, but she was ready. And she's ready to pay. You know. And that's a really interesting phenomenon. When people especially when it comes to selling we get in our selling stuff. We have to remember when people don't pay, they don't pay attention, they don't value free, they don't put skin in the game, you don't have that. Powerful the decision point where they say I'm in it, to win it at some I want to give to my sister for free. She didn't do anything with it. When she had put her own hard earned money in there. She's like, I'm ready. My sister has still to this day. But then as well, no website. She didn't have a single post on Instagram pertaining to the niche and the topic that she wanted to talk about. So not only did my sister a no email list, obviously, no, nothing like literally the most beginning you could start with no list, no website, no following. She had friends and family on Instagram and she was talking about kids and her dog and the occasional my brother is amazing. No, she never did that. She never Can you believe it never posted about that. And this turns do that all the time? I know. That's it though. And she'd never purchased another program. Nothing. So she's like, She's so great. She's a purist. You know, a lot of people always go you know, they hear certainly. Oh yeah. Well, you were doing this open here for the duper duper. While my sister you can't say that about she had nothing. Nothing nada. And she comes to me as big bro. I wouldn't coach her. You know, I said you gotta use the program. That's what it's this therefore, I mean, you can pay me 15 grand and I'll I'll do one day with you. What a jerky Big Brother hon. 

Mel Abraham  49:30  
But hey, you know,no one when she's not posted about you.

James Wedmore  49:33  
So she goes, Okay, James, I'm gonna finally run my beta launch, which is like, putting my my first version of my product out there. And she goes, I honestly, I don't have any audience. I don't have any. I don't have anyone. So my goal is three. And then she told me later she goes, Yeah, I lied. My goal was one but I told you three but my real goal was just one if I could just get one person to join this thing, then that would Ami I got something. And she didn't get one. She didn't get three, she got seven. She got seven people to join her beta program within two months of, of joining. And then about two weeks later she did call me for this one because I needed some advice. Help me Help me know what's going on. said I had a problem. People are sharing about my program and they want it. I'm like, oh, that's their problem. That's that's not a problem. That's the Celtic good thing. School, what do I do, and I was like, you let a man that's not getting nine people into her into her program. And every single time she's launched, launched, Hudson said she keeps doubling her numbers. And she's a mom of two, no business experience. She was also homeschooling her kids, and was the primary care caretaker for my father as he was sick and passing. And I mean, it's like, it's hard to use my sister's case study, because there's always someone who's going to be like, yeah, you probably did it all for I did not I know, I could attest to that. I definitely did not. And I'm like, No, I'm gonna treat you. I mean, you're my sister. So I'll be there as your brother, but he's a business coach, I'm gonna, I'm gonna work with you the same way I do with with my clients and like, you don't get special treatment. And she followed the process. And she did it. And part of it was like she today she's like this inspiring people just like love, love her. Because it's sometimes it's just about getting started. Sometimes it's about getting that car built so that we know we can drive it. Yeah. And when you get a paying client, you got proof that you got something that's working, and wherever we are, is where we are. And we're just here to take the next step. And she sent me these texts that were just like, you know, she get off these calls to coaching her clients. And she's like, This is the happiest I've ever been, is like, don't tell my husband or my kids, but like, I feel more lit up, more fulfilled. And this is just the most incredible experience, like I'm doing what I'm here to do. And I'm like, Well, you know, me receiving that text is like, that's me doing what I'm here to do. Because I think there's a lot of helpers out there. A lot of people that have like a really amazing message, or they really want to help people. And I like to say that my purpose is I'm here to help helpers. And I just think they're, they're great at what they do. And they're not great at be known for what they do. So they tend to be pretty bad at marketing, and running the business, the business that houses and I got really good at those I just got, you know, you mess up enough over the years and you figure a thing or two out. And that's really what I want for people is like, how if you learn how to run a business the right way, it will change your quality of life. One thing we say over and over again, inside. The rise of digital SEO inside business by design is the more structure you put in the business, the more freedom you get back in your life. The more structure the more consistency, the more planning, I have a big post coming out on this, I end the post goes something to this effect. I wonder how much more money you will make. When you plan more. These are the unsexy things to business. Yeah, they are. People get in this reactive urgent cycles where they aren't looking at their numbers. They're not strategic and they're not planning they go I need some money. And so they just like flaps something together, they try to do something really fast, really reactively. And guess what happens when you do things reactively it always falls shorter of what you hoped. And now you're really screwed. Because it falls shorter than what you hope, which means you have to do it again. And you need more money. So you reactively and you get stuck in this cycle. And you can't get out of it. When it's the very thing that you're doing is causing and perpetuating to stay in and I see I see people that's where they burnout. And that's where they they burn their business to the ground. Yeah. When when we do the things that we do, I just noticed now and it just gets me so fired up. And I'm so passionate about it. That like we just, we just do things so differently. You do it too. Here's example. You're in the same masterminds me. And one of the things we ask people to go hey, put your launch dates in, in this like group board so we can all support each other during launch time. Don't think I didn't notice. But you were the only one we did this in quarter one. You were the only person that had a launch date beyond quarter one. in quarter three, no one else had quarter to quarter maybe like maybe maybe the first month of the quarter two, but no one had I'd like June July definitely didn't have August left alone September, nothing passer? Did you notice that?

Mel Abraham  55:06  
I did notice that. But you know it's funny. It's the way I'd run my life I look at things in a 12 month cycle I, I know what my numbers are they I was just talking to my wealth team this today, because they were talking about a tax strategy. And I said we can't do it. And he says why I said, Because let me tell you what my numbers are going to be this year. He goes, so our tax rates are going to be way too high to try and use this strategy. And he goes, Wow, he says, you know that and I go, I know that. I mean, I know it, you know, I can see it. And so so you got to put it on the calendars, you got to put it in the game you got to get you got to plan it out. And because some dear friend of mine, Bo Eason said to me once. He said, schedule your fears. And when you place your fears on a schedule, your mind starts to work. To deal with the fears, your body starts to make decisions, your your heart starts to move forward, the once we put it on the calendar, no matter what it is, things have to start to align to stay congruent with a commitment and a declaration you made. And that's why I do it.

James Wedmore  56:21  
It's kind of like a slingshot. So if you put your whatever your rocker, your marble in the slingshot, we know the further back, you pull it, the further this thing's gonna gonna go. That's just the law of physics here. Yeah, in action. So the same becomes true. Mel has, has a big promotion in September. So he has pulled back, the longer you using the metaphor we are, the longer you plan something out, the more you stretch and pull back our slingshot, which means it's gonna go further. So why is that? Well, let me give real frickin examples. Now, who is just speaking at event, probably all these other speakers and great people is now working with can start building relationships now, with people that could become strategic partners, he could start networking with them, even on ideas. Now, they could go towards his launch, then he could be doing things with his audience. Now, that starts to build up the anticipation and the momentum. And that builds, we are t minus 29 days away from the kickoff of my annual launch. And that that date is on the calendar for a whole year. And like we plan it, days after it's done, we're already choosing the next day, right? So there were things that I was doing in January for it. And February and March. But now as I was telling them, I was like, Oh man, we are like picking up this crazy momentum. And it's that crazy momentum that could not be there. If I just started it right now. And I'm like, I think I'm gonna sell something in 30 days, or two weeks like, and, you know, I'm not you have to choose wherever you are in your journey of like, I'm not saying like suicide, you're going to sell something and wait a year before you do it. Because people don't. That's not what I said. But if you don't give yourself enough time to plan and it's just reactive, like I need something now, you've already set yourself up for failure nine times out of Yeah, like the reactiveness doesn't like no one got their acceptance speech. I was like, I'm so glad I was reactive, rushed God in my head and acted out of fear. That's the reason I'm here today. You know, and, and there's, I was talking to someone else about this. And it's like, like, if we look at things in terms of energy, like, you know, you get around someone and you kind of feel their vibe. And when I'm around people, I'm always especially the entrepreneurs and they're telling me about their business or I'm coaching them, always trying to get a just a vibe of who they are. And there's this certain type. And I don't mean this disrespectfully or judgmentally, I'm just, I have to give samples here, it seems to always kind of be up in the air. And they're always just kind of like bouncing around from whatever is it's almost like a dog and you just put the shiny little thing in front of it. And it's just like, boom. And those are the type that sadly, they just plateau pretty quickly. Yeah. And they can't, for whatever reason seem to grow beyond that. But they're, they're the busiest. I mean, they're I get tired watching them. I'm like I'm exhausted just listening. I almost started crying once when this person told me the amount of work they have on their plate, and my heart just like eight. I was like it sounds like you're doing 17 hour days or something in there. Like yeah, about about like 15 and IV t take days off, like, No, I know I can't. And they're at like a 300 $400,000 a year and I'm like, yeah, hey I'm gonna cry for you. That's just sounds awful and and it's always this next thing or the latest greatest. And there's so many weird counter intuitiveness to being a great business owner that will give you a great business great businesses are built, you know, by great business owners being a great business owner. And there's so much counterintuitive, like, you have to say NO WAY more than than you say yes. Yeah, woof move slower. The all these things are like what the what and I say this, I'm quite the contrary. And as Mel knows, like, I ruffle feathers not because I want to but because I have some things to say that just are posing that identity. So like when I say you need to slow down if you if you want to be a better business owner, slow down. The fastest way to speed up is to slow down the entrepreneur haisa They're all about Quick Start do it today. You know, but there's such an intentionality as you were saying there's such a calculated presence. And the tortoise I had, I had a mutual friend of ours mastermind client texted me today. This, this makes me so happy. And this is what they sent me. Because I'm trying to I actually talked to her and I said, you are an example of this quintessential business owner archetype that I I know that this type will always be successful. We can always be this type. It's it's a choice. It's not like it's hardwired. And your fix, right. And she said to me today at 5:53pm Pacific Standard Time, so it's like literally an hour before we start recording. James got an update. We just passed 500,000 in cash collected for the year. And you know, it's it's made?

Mel Abraham  1:01:49  
Yeah, yeah.

James Wedmore  1:01:50  
You got a million dollar business. That's amazing. And the emoji you want to know the guests the emoji meme? Guess the emoji they put after this. It made me so happy. And it spoke volumes. What do you think? I'm probably the party emoji. You that's what you think. They sent me the turtle?

Unknown Speaker  1:02:12  
The turtle?

James Wedmore  1:02:14  
Oh, mad. The turtle?

Mel Abraham  1:02:17  
Yeah, it's true.

James Wedmore  1:02:18  
No, yeah, they're it's, it's Yeah, slow and steady run wins the race. And there's a time and place for everything, you know, yeah. wants you to get it to market. But that's because if you're in your head, and you're overthinking things, you're gonna be wasting time and energy. But if you're not in your head, and you're calculated, and you're present, and you're strategic, you're doing something over and over again, you know, there's a slide I share that my life events, people still to this day comment in saying this is the most impactful visual I've ever seen you share. And it's the history of business by design. Yep. I program. Mel was there when I started it. And in that very first iteration of it 2016. It did $18,000. And it was just a small little beta thing I was doing it just made a little bit of money. And then I said, Okay, now yeah, he didn't even have a name for it. I didn't, it was well, the name was James Wedmore. Super awesome, sexy beta program. Yeah. So you know, there wasn't don't like, don't get me wrong, like there's that take a leap. And the net will appear, build your wings on the way down kind of mentality. But then it's like, stay the course. And they showed on a graph, the trajectory of this, and how it continued to grow. But it took three years. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was like 250 launch, the next one was 250, then it was 500. And another one was 500. And then it was like 600. You know, it's doing well. But then all of a sudden, like two and a half, three years, it just hockey sticks, and all of a sudden, 4 million 5,000,005.76. And that happened at three years. And I know it's so stupidly cliche. But you've seen those little memes of the guy who stops digging for gold. Yes, II or inches before he strikes it rich. And you're probably doing the same thing. You give up on your idea. You give up on the thing that you're working towards. When you don't understand that that thing takes time to turn it into what it's meant to be. That's why you created it in the first place. So you had a vision. You started it and then you give up on the vision. And it's never going to come to its full fruition. 

Mel Abraham  1:04:29  
You know, well and I not to get too esoteric, but I think part of that process is because it requires you to become who you need to be to have it where it needs to be. Yep, you have to grow into the business owner, the entrepreneur that is required of you to have that, that that level of success.

James Wedmore  1:04:56  
Well, if that's too esoteric that People are really screwed, because to me, that is like the biggest secret. I stated the average person. Well, we like to us entrepreneurs and business owners call the normies, the normies out there, most of them don't have goals. That's really sad. You know, I lived a large part of my life not really having goals either. So I really get that was like live for the weekend or a day off, or that dream about the next vacation or whatever, no judgement, totally fine. Then you read a few books, like The Four Hour Workweek, and you're like, I'm going to start a business, and you start having goals, and you create a vision board, and you write it down somewhere everywhere, you're gonna see it. And that's amazing. Here's what no one frickin taught me. All those years ago, that I wish someone had shooken me by the shoulders, because it's so stupid, simple. It's more of this stupid, simple that I love, right? Because I want to keep it simple. The moment you create a goal, what you're doing with a goal is you're saying this is what I want. So to want something, there's a simultaneous acknowledgement that you don't have it. So if you don't have it, you haven't done what you've needed to do the right way, in order to have it. That's why we want it because we don't have it. And we don't have it because we haven't done it. Okay. So there's an acknowledgement there. Which means there's also an acknowledgement that you don't know how to do it, otherwise, you would have done it, and you would have it. Because experience is the only true giver of knowledge, a concept in your your head, I can read five books on how to swim or how to write a book, that doesn't mean I know how to swim or ride a bike, until I'm doing it and experience it, I don't actually know. And the same goes for all of us. So the stupid simple process is, as soon as you know what you want, you must know what the thing that you want wants from you, or rather needs from you. And unless you live into that, that changes everything. So I want to build a million dollar business. Great. And this is another thing this, this came up before. You know, people ask like what's realistic. And I go, we got a screw realistic, because really anything is possible. You want to say I want to get go to zero in a million in one year in my first year in business, that is absolutely without a shadow of a doubt possible. But the plan and what it's going to take and what would it would require of you to get to zero to a million in your first year business is probably something you're unwilling to do. Yes. It's like, Hey, would you be willing to spend a quarter million dollars in ads to like, build the brand and get the name out there and build a list? No, then there you go. Right. So you got it, I don't have a quarterback great, and you're gonna have to use another resource. But going back to this, you say I want to build a million dollar business ego Great. What does a million and I'll bring it down again, I'll do the lower version. So it's like maybe that's too high for what is a million dollar business require of me? What is a million dollar business need? What do I need to let go of? What do I need to be doing differently? What value do I need to be delivering? What else does it need to make this possible? When you start and asking those questions? And actually, like, you have to kind of sit in the unknown of I don't know, those get know that once you can be moved past the uncomfortable of I don't know, because our teachers told us growing up that not knowing the answer is bad. But not knowing the answer means you're in a receptive state. That's where you get to like daydream a little bit. That's where the magic is. So you just take it down to 100k. You're at zero, you just started your business yesterday. What is 100k? Your business look like? What does it need from me? What do I need to do? What do I need to let go of? How does the digital CEO of that business to operate? And let that and the answers to those questions begin to guide you? Otherwise, if that's not guiding you, then guess what? The person making $0 That one's $100,000 Business is guiding the direction of the business. That person no disrespect has no clue how to do it, because like we already acknowledged they've never done it before. Right? Let a person who has who has only created a $0 business, make all the decisions for 100k business, that ain't ever gonna happen. And this is why that gap eludes people for so long. At every level, I had to change the way I looked at things I had to change my thinking I had to change where I spent my time. I just change like my identity and where my value wins and what I worked on what I said yes to what I said no to how I made decisions, all of it. And that's what allowed me to continue growing. So it's simple, but again, it goes back to where somebody doesn't mean a disease. 

Mel Abraham  1:09:53  
This is such a beautiful perspective and where he Using it as business as business right now, but Majan you, the viewers, the listeners, imagine if you did that in every aspect of your life. Yep. What does the relationship need? What does my health need? What does my family need? And we start to come at it. From that perspective, can you imagine the richness that we create not only in the business but in our lives? 

James Wedmore  1:10:30  
It sounds wonderful perspective, changing lives, because it's our ego that gets so rooted in like, this myopic you know, all of us are guilty of this to some degree because we all have an ego. This myopic, like, I'm the center of the universe, kind of mentality of like, more me, me me, why don't I have Ne Ne, ne, ne, ne, so that perpetuates, what do I need, I don't have this, I focus on what I don't have. But what I need, and here's my problems, and I need all the meaning and you, me, me? And these questions, force you out of that and really didn't associate you from the sit the current situation to say, what is this thing need from me? Or what is it just, it doesn't need to be from you. I could sit there and say, as your business it needs a an amazing marketing director, and amazing marketing team, it might be up to me to go hire that team. But it doesn't need to come from me, I you become you need to look at your business. Like it is this entity that has no voice, they cannot speak up. So you are the the liaison you are the advocate. You are the caretaker. And if you don't tend to its needs, no one else will. So if you don't know what it needs, you can't attend to its needs. And if you can't give it its needs, it ain't gonna give you what you want. Yeah, like you said, is with anything in life. Everyone says they want to be in a loving, incredible relationship marriage. Everyone says they want to find their soulmate. But it's a rare person that says, What is this person need for me? What does this relationship need from me? In order to make it extraordinary? And everything is a give and take. And so people come to me and they say, James, part of my fear and hesitation or comes up is I just I don't feel like I don't I'm worried. I am afraid I don't have what it takes. And I say, Do you want this business? And they say yes. And I say you really want it to be what we were talking about before. Like, this isn't your parent's dream, this is this is what you will want, right? And they say yes. And I say if the desire was born from within you, I can promise you, I can guarantee you I can say with absolute conviction and certainty, you have what it takes, it's simply a matter of if you're willing to give what it takes. And what it takes a lot of my friends, what it takes a heck of a lot of is letting go. Any process of growth is a process of letting go a lot of people think it means I'm going to need to work more. Well, you're in and you have to let go of the belief that you have to work more to make more. A lot of people think it means more stress, well, you have to let go of all your control issues, you have to let go of all your perfectionism, you have to let go of the fear of making a mistake or failing or getting it wrong or worrying about people judging you or preceding you or it's going to change everything in my life. When I'm successful. My family is going to hate you know, you have to let all that go to let in the thing that you want. That's the process. And when people say what is it going to take and it is a it's going to probably take letting go of the things that you've been holding on to near and dear and very tightly. And that's where we can say it's simple. But it becomes hard. We make it hard. Yeah. By our own choosing.

Mel Abraham  1:14:18  
Yeah, this is so good. Now we're, and then we could talk for four days. And we usually do but but I mean, because here's the thing, you're actually going to go deeper on some of this, you're going to you're going to work through some of the mind stuff, some of the system stuff, some of the processes of what it takes to truly, whether you're at zero, whether you're at 100,000 Whether you're at a million, what it takes to become the business owner, the digital CEO, that you need to be to have the success that you envision and beyond and it's a special kind of training that you're doing that's absolutely free. Coming up soon. called the rise of Israel CEO, can you tell us a little bit about that? Tell them about it. Because you all if you have any desire to kind of walk this path, if you have any desire to create an additional income stream, do you have any desire to accelerate your path? Well, this is the journey beyond because a digital business is one of the highest margin businesses that you're ever going to find on Earth.

James Wedmore  1:15:25  
And it's the most fulfilling, fun, rewarding type of business you could possibly do. And I've said this before to you that I think the greatest asset we could ever require is that of a personal brand. You know, and you just look at some of these people like the Bezos and the Musk's of the world. And love them or hate them is irrelevant, they you know who they are. And whatever they go touch tomorrow turns to gold, and it hurts to gold, because they created a name for themselves. And no one ever southern said what a mistake it was to build a personal brand, where more people got to know me for something and built a relationship with me, you take that with you wherever you go. So I've been doing this for 16 years. Today, we have a business that has consistently been doing eight figures year after year. And I do this training once a year that tends to piss off what people call clinical competitors. Because I do things a little differently in my my world. Like basically what is in people's paid programs that you pay, like $2,000 for is what I just give for free in the free training. And there's a few reasons why I do that. One is because I do have a paid program. And my paid program is less just a bunch of courses, videos of watching more information. And it's more the Lego instruction manuals, the step by step processes, the SOPs and the execution guides for actually running the business. So in the free training, basically, here's what I'm going to do. If my business was a car, then the first thing we do is pop open the hood, and I'd show you how it runs and what we do in there. And it's a very healthy business that is run, there's only eight of us. And it, it gives us not just like the fun and the fulfillment, but a lot of free time as well. And it's because we do things very differently than most people and how we run it. And that includes how we create our offers and how we sell them. So this is an invitation to anyone who is or has that itch to be the online expert the personal brand, and monetize any type of digital product, we're going to help you plug in the business model for making that happen. This is where we end the game of let me let me chase the latest gimmick, the latest funnel wuzhou. Watch McCall it that is promising you to make a million dollars by tomorrow. And this is really for those that are like I am serious about actually building a business around this not just a quick cash grab, and then I'm gonna fly to Mexico or something like that. This is a call to the real businesses, or at least desire to be the real business. And I'm going to show you how to how to build something real and sustainable. And it's actually way easier in my opinion. It's just completely different. Yeah, if not harder, and makes things better. The more structure you put in your business, the more freedom you get in your life. The other phrase you're going to get to hear a lot from me and really discover is the reason you are plateauing. The reason you are overworked, the reason you are not getting the results that you want, despite the effort is because of a very simple business truth. The role that you fill in your business will determine the results that you receive. So we're going to take a good hard look at what role you've been filling, what roles you've been avoiding. And what roles are required of your business at the face of it as your business is in one of four phases. There's a big reason why a lot of the advice you're getting is either bad advice, or isn't working for you. And it's because business growth happens in stages. And so what can be great advice in one stage is awful in another. And if you don't understand what stage you're in, you don't know what advice is good and what is bad. So that's what that's kind of one of the most blessing part of what I do is I literally like I said the beginning of this. I work with someone who just started their business yesterday and I can I have people that come into the business by design and work with us that are you know, two plus million dollars. How is that possible? Because everything that we do is designed about identifying what phase that you are in and then plugging in the structure and the processes and the systems required for that phase with one simple intention gets you to the next phase. So we're going to cover All of that, again, it, it rivals the paid courses that a lot of people were buying. And it's an intense, live three part mega series. But I really say it's just for the people that are that are serious. And I hope you are because I had to get real serious you talk about that current society and parents and upbringing. I felt like I had to, to paddle upstream for four years before I could create my own current my own stream. I don't want that to be four years for any of you. This is what I wish I had when I got started. And I had to figure out the hard way. And I wanted to shortcut that success. A lot of what drives me today is, if I can get anyone like that, like we were saying that hard work and best ways to honor that. But if I can shorten that for you, if that can be the next six months or a year of your life and about four and a half five, with the the ever accumulating doubt, that amplifies and goes exponential of maybe this isn't ever going to work until the point where that over comes you and you just give up. We don't ever want it to get that far, we got to we got to shortcut you through that. That's what it's aimed to do. It's called The Rise of the digital CEO, we kick off June 1.

Mel Abraham  1:21:19  
And I will I will make sure that we hook up the links in the show notes. I will be there live in Berkeley behind the scenes with James. And I'll get you all the all the schedule everything. So you can get access to it, it's free, here's the deal. Gonna take time, it's gonna take focus, but it's going to take you to a whole new level. I hope you join me, I hope you join Join James. Because I've watched his training, I've been part of the training for many, many years now. And it doesn't matter how many times I go through it, there's always a new Aha, there's always a new perspective, and there's always a new shift that I can take away from it. And if I can do that, after as many years I've been doing this, you can too, so. So click the link that we have in the show notes, get yourself registered, grab a spot, and make sure that you you join us live and I'll be there to help you along in the process. So James, my friend, any last words before we say See you later not goodbye. See you later because I'm going to see you later. And and as we go on our way in this episode at least.

James Wedmore  1:22:33  
Um, I don't have any other words other than what was already said. But you know, now really is your time because now was all that we have. And as much as it feels like their stuff. And all the reasons why, why not. None of that changes until you decide to do it now. And I'm so glad I figured that out because like, the perfect metaphor is is you're planting seeds every day. Your decisions, your actions, your habits and behaviors, you're planting seeds, what you grow, and if it even bears fruit is totally up to you. And I look at things I was doing a decade ago that bear the fruit that it has today. And so why we would ever delay or hesitate or put anything like our purpose or our goals our dream business on on hold. I escapes me. So now is the time. And I think people over the last few years and the challenges they've seen in the uncertainty of true old traditional paradigm is falling away. More and more people are waking up to Joe I need to be doing my own staying and I could not agree more. And I think those that are in a virtual digital space that can transcend time and location and all that type of stuff aren't we're just in the most perfect spot and more and more people are going to figure that out so you better be one of the sooner rather than later folks. So now is absolutely the time. So come join us and we'll have a ton of fun I promise you that.

Mel Abraham  1:24:29  
Yeah without a doubt without a doubt. David man all was always a joy to hang with you and chat and I think we'll be seeing you seeing a handful of weeks out there and it's right yeah, in in Scottsdale and Phoenix and at the rise of digital SEO and, and everything. So thanks, buddy for for joining me. And always always fun.

James Wedmore  1:24:54  
See you buddy. Thank you.

Mel Abraham  1:24:55  
Cheers. Thank you for listening to the affluent entrepreneur show with me. Your host Mel Abraham, if you want to achieve financial liberation to create an affluent lifestyle, join me in the affluent entrepreneur Facebook group now by going to Melabraham.com/group and I'll see you there.