The Brendan Elias Experience

In today's podcast, I am joined by a very close friend, the King of Shopify, the absolute legend and e-commerce powerhouse, Mr Omar Westerberg.  

In today's podcast, I am joined by a successful Fast Tracker, Geoff Hardiker.

In today's episode, I will go backstage with you at one of our previous Bootcamp, this one was held at the end of 2019 in Brisbane in November. 

In today's podcast, two of my VIP Fast Trackers joined me, Charlie and Malu Moraza.

Welcome to Episode #002 of The Brendan Elias Experience! In today's podcast, our special guest is the Director Of Customer Success & Training at Helium 10, Bradley Sutton.

Welcome to Episode #001 of The Brendan Elias Experience! In today's podcast, we are joined by our first guest... the best selling author, business and internet marketing coach, mentor, and speaker, James Schramko. Episode #001 Highlights: 00:07:39 If you have a job that everyone would want and a company that people would die to work for, why did you look for another position working for yourself? 00:07:48 Why did you want to get out of your job and get into internet marketing when you had a job that everyone would want? 00:08:57 Why do you sell yourself so short? 00:09:34 Why would you quit a dream job? 00:10:20 Take charge of your own destiny 00:11:32 What was it that made you such an exceptional salesman?   00:20:15 Transition to becoming a business coach 00:25:03 Dictator of success 00:25:22 How important is it to have a coach, guide or mentor to help you take that converting offer and transform into something that will give you financial independence? 00:27:35 Coaching resistance 00:37:43 Concept of non-neediness 00:44:08 Do you remember the first time you ever had to or made a decision to fire a client? 00:49:09 Coaching program 00:51:04 Business owner’s fundamentals 00:53:24 What would be your 3 e-commerce tips that you will give to someone who is looking to start importing and selling products? 00:53:31 Peal and stick 00:55:47 Work hard to differentiate or personalize your product 00:59:47 What makes you such a good coach? 01:00:54 What is parenting like the second time around where you have financial freedom and independence? 01:03:50 What is next for James Schramko?   Transcription: Brendan: Hello and good afternoon wherever you are in the world! Welcome to Episode #001, the very first episode of The Brendan Elias Experience!  I am super excited to be here and today, we are joined by our first guest ever on The Brendan Elias Experience, Mr James Schramko. Hello James... James: Hello Brendan, it's lovely to be here at this historic moment. I wonder if we'll be looking back at this in 10 years from now laughing at your first episode like I look back in my first podcast, and have a listen to it. It was over 10 years ago, and I think what a journey! It's a great journey you’ll be starting today! Brendan: Fantastic you are up to, I think, episode what 650 or something in that order? James: 688 on SuperFastBusiness and not including the other podcast I've had, it's been a real journey Brendan: Awesome! Well, I want to tell you a little bit about our guest. If you don't know about James Schramko, then you have been living under a rock and I couldn't think of anyone better to start the podcast with than James.  James is a bestselling author, his book “Work Less Make More” has just hit number one on Amazon e-business books. James is an accomplished coach, mentor and he also is also a speaker. Speaking in such places as Digital Marketing Summit and many other places around the world. He has a new bundle of joy that has just arrived as well.  He has 3 boys, 2 girls, and how many surfboards James?  James: An undisclosed amount more than one should be mentioned on public broadcast. Brendan: Undisclosed amount of surfboard. If I can get that information for our viewers one day, I will broadcast it.  So today, I just wanted to share a little bit about what it is that makes you such an established coach and one thing that they need to know is that you actually currently are my coach and my mentor. And it’s been at least over a year I think since you’ve encouraged me to have a podcast so I do get around to it eventually but if you can tell everyone James, a little bit about yourself.  How did you come to be a business and internet marketing coach?  What were your roots?  Where did you start?  You're always a business coach. How did you get in?  The Beginning James: Where I came from? From school, I did a bit of accounting study and then I ended up in debt collection in an office environment. And then I went to... From telephone collections, I went out to the field as a repossession agent. And that was fun in my early 20s.  And then technology started arriving in Australia for digital telephones so I joined the company called Vodafone and was seconded to a sales team. The best of the best. They're like the top gun of salespeople. I didn't know so much about selling but when they are out of the office, I used to pick up the phone, and it turns out I can actually sell phones as well while they are gone. And then my first baby started to arrive and I needed to increase my income so I got a job selling BMW. And within a year, I was the top-selling BMW salesperson. And then after another year of that, I end up switching to Mercedes Benz for better pay and better conditions. And I worked my way through with my sales career. There I actually became the number one Mercedes-Benz salesperson within a year of joining. Then I got promoted to a Sales Manager. I think that's really where I started mentoring & coaching for real because I have my own team of salespeople who I have to nurture and train and get them performing. And they went on to be the top performers as well.  And then Mercedes-Benz started directing me around to move to other dealerships to improve the dealerships. So I went from the one that I was working at which was owned by Mercedes-Benz to one where I was a General Sales Manager. And I had to turn around the sales team and make it perform and we did. And then after about four years, they asked me to move to another Mercedes-Benz dealership and I was a General Manager. I turned that business around for another four years. That was my last job, General Manager at Mercedes-Benz dealership.  To start, I was focused on learning about online because I could see this channel emerging and becoming very powerful and opening up my options rather than selling one product in one market. I could sell anything in any market anywhere in the world. It's just that opportunity seems too great to ignore. So I taught myself how to build a website. I got good at the online stuff. And then about two and a half years, I made enough money to quit my job.  And from there it was really clear to me that a lot of online marketers... well if they’re smart and really good at the thing they do or very talented with certain aspects, a lot of them lack general business experience or knowledge. So, I thought at this stage I already come out with a stock of tens of millions. I have learned about  How to sell finance How to sell service How to sell parts and stock I dealt with big manufacturers and brand values from Mercedes-Benz. I have a team of 70+ people over 3 facilities. So I got all this great experience with very expensive accountants and spreadsheets and lawyers and recruitment officers and all of this stuff. And I found myself in this world where some of these people came up through dorm rooms and then started selling a lot of stuff but they kept running into trouble. And it just seemed that people would come to me for how do you do this... how do you do that... And I like that. I like nurturing and helping people. And shortly after quitting my job, I started an online forum called SuperFastBusiness. Back then, it was a different name but it changed name 3 times in the last 11 years. And I ran that for over 10 years.  I ran the coaching program for about nine years at a high level. And I also in the meantime, built a Search Engine Optimization Agency, Website Development Agency, and I sold both of those. And these days now, I partner with some other business owners in their businesses. So that sort of way I'm moving in the future is to build a little portfolio of products and services where I can have a great relationship with the owners and I can help them out but also help me out. The Resignation Brendan: Got it! Now I just wanted to talk a little bit about your time at Mercedes-Benz. Now if you ask someone to name 5 brands. The brands that would come to mind will be like companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Microsoft, Google, and most likely Mercedes-Benz. Where can a company like that be in a very, very coveted position?  And you were in a management role so you are a company that anyone would kill to work for and you’re on top of the trade. It was probably very competitive so my question is… If you have a job that everyone would want and a company that people would die to work for, why did you look for another position working for yourself? Why did you want to get out of that and get into internet marketing when you had something that everyone would want? James: Cause I didn’t want it. I didn't like getting paid by one person. I didn't like the fact that the US market was going to decline in the financial crisis. And it triggered memories when I was a young guy when my parents went through the recession in the early 90s. It's like the 80s to 90s. And they lost pretty much everything. And I got out of it. There is just a little bit left. And I thought, wow history could repeat itself here. If I lost my job, I got nothing.  And then I noticed that all of my clients we're not employees, they were business owners. And beyond that, I started to travel to the United States and attend some conferences and I’ve met a small group of people who would perform at a high level and I literally sat beside one of them on an airplane. And he said to me, “James, You are making 300 grand a year, I make a 100 grand a month” and he said, “Why do you sell yourself so short?”  And it really stuck with me. And I actually came away from thinking, you know what  I’m really under performing and I’m not any way close to what I am capable of and I need to step it up. And you know the fact is, 11 years down the track, I now make significantly more than I made in a job. I work significantly less. I’m significantly happier. And I’m very glad I made that change.  Even when I look back, I think, “Gosh that was kinda ballsy!” And a lot of people said,