Owner Of Dream Big & Girl-Confident Brand: Erika N. Jennings AKA Ms. Lights Camera Action – S2E12 (#40)

S2E12 Erika Jennings – powered by Happy Scribe

Forwarding here. Good. Perfect. All right, let’s go replay.

Oh, I said all right.

I say, Oh, it’s an abbreviation. SAG’s man. You got to love it, right?

OK, yeah, I got to remember it. Well, what do you prefer me call you?

I mean, I figured everybody call me everything on the show, so fictional to nobody has called me SAG’s yet. But I mean, I talk about that kind of the unveiling of that name. Right. So you’re probably the person from his back like 93, right. Yeah, shit, let’s go in three. All right, all right, three, two, one.

Welcome welcome back to Boston College podcast.

So this particular episode is a special episode for me, because this is the first person I’ve had on my show that I’ve known pretty much my entire damn life, like literally since like early 90s. So to have opportunity for her to also be a fellow entrepreneur and to be on the show is a gift in itself. So without further ado, I want to introduce everyone to Erica Jay, the big boss over there. I think your nickname for the show should be lights, camera, action, lights, camera, action.

So, so, so go ahead and take the seat. I mean, who are you, Erica? So it’s funny that you should say lights, camera, action, because when I was in college, I got the name Hollywood and it’s so funny that even to talk to today, I still have that bad name.

And it’s kind of like the lights, camera, action. But personally, I am Erica with a K, remember that Erica with the K, the spiritual lover motivational. Motivational, I’m a mom, I don’t know why to say that first I’m a mom before anything else and I’m someone who loves people and I love children, which is why I’ve been a teacher double digit years now. And so that’s Erica.

That’s Erika. And it’s funny that you became a teacher, which kind of blows my mind because, you know, back when I was in high school, it was like literally all the drama we had to give to teachers back then. For you to become a teacher kind of just blows my mind. Right?

Well, I think that was you. But, yes, that was not in my path. If you if I were back then, if I would be a teacher, you’re right. I would not have said yes if I didn’t choose the career. The career chose me.

So in addition to that career, I mean, obviously, you’re an entrepreneur, right? A solo solo partner, entrepreneur. You got the hustle in you. I mean, obviously, you’re from Brooklyn. So the hustle, it goes without saying. I give everybody a warning. This conversation make it real.

Brooklyn, really quick in Brooklyn.

It has without a doubt. So to talk about like your entrepreneurs, just like a little bit crummy, like, you know, we grew up socially together. So I understand, like, the hustle has always been there. But what made you kind of go into, like, becoming an author and going down that road? OK, so I became an author. It actually is connected to my teaching. One day I was modeling for my students how to write the fantasy genre.

And so as a teacher, I’m always doing what I want them to do first. And I started writing this story, and each day it was getting better and better and better. And they were so engaged and they were sitting at the edge of their seats waiting for the next part of the story. And then I said, this could actually be a book. And so that’s how I got into writing books. So my first book was a children’s book.

But I’ve always been a writer. I’ve always journaled even back then in high school. I think maybe you can agree.

I had a very vivid imagination. Very true.

So that’s how I began writing the story.

But not only do I have three books now, I am I’ve always been a party planner. I’ve been a motivational speaker and a party coach. So my business began with being a party coach.

Can I just stop for a minute? This is the start, like, what the hell is a party coach?

So I like to think that I created that that name. But actually, you know how as a parent, because you know, who wants to always plan the parties, right? Because or if you’re planning the party, by the time you get to the party, you don’t want to have to play games with all the children. In fact, as a parent who is not necessarily an educator, you don’t even want to manage several children. Well, I decided that because I’m always working with children and I was a daycare director and I actually like engaging with them.

I thought about, hey, I can help the parents. I could actually be the one who plays the games. I was always the one who was playing the games with the children and coming up with the activities for the family events annually. We have a Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner and we have to keep the children engaged. And it was always Erika. And even when I decided that one or two years I was like, I, I don’t want to do this.

They came to me. OK, Erika. So what do you have planned for the kids? What’s the activity? And so basically that’s what a party coach is, the person who actually plays the game with the kids. And that actually evolves a little bit because it’s not just playing games, but sometimes even the adults we play musical chairs and I’m the hostess and I’m the person who brings the taboo or brings the two questions in a lie or two truth and a lie.

That’s how it’s so. Yeah, that’s what I’ve. So it all started there.

So I mean, it seems like obviously we always kind of think about entrepreneur as a journey, right. So you’re a teacher, you’re doing these parties, you’re writing children’s books. So in that journey, you’re writing these books, you cross genres. And like, you know, I’ve published several books in my lifetime. So understanding like crossing genres like that. So like looks like a it’s like Stephen King going from horror to romance. Right. It’s kind of like one of those things like how was that journey crossing between these genres?

So I’d like to think that they overlap. And now that I think about it, the the children’s book was probably in the works before that day with my, you know, those days with my students, because I used to do as part of my party coaching and interactive read aloud and and I would search for books that I thought would really be engaging for the children. And I’d sit there and I’d read the stories and me with my hands, I’d be animated.

And I thought it would be a good idea if I had my own read aloud, if I could make that a part of my party coaching package.

OK, so now that I think about it, I do remember that I would do interactive read aloud and it was just part of for me, like I said, it overlaps. It was a part of the package that I could now add. So then I could say, you know, when I read to the children, you know, guess who the author is? Because I always dressed up, I put on my yellow wig or my purple wig or my pink hair, and I put on the lashes and I have glitter everywhere.

And it’s all a part of the presentation. So bringing the book with me and it being my book, it’s like I would bring it alive. The character alive. Hmm.

That’s interesting philosophy like merging between the two environments. So, I mean, just going back into that story of the developing these two environments, the one like why did you chose or why did you choose to go down that path? I mean, obviously, as a teacher, you had multiple different avenues, multiple different things you could have jumped into. Why did you jump into authorship and publications?

Oh, well, I thought that writing was something I did really well. And because I did it every day and the more that I did it, I thought the more that I was engaged in the writing process and the more that I was engaged in developing. I started with essays and and then, like I said, I went into teaching the different genres. I really like the fantasy genre. And so it gave me an opportunity to escape. Mm hmm.

And so I can write about anything that I wanted to write about. And, you know, there were no boundaries.

Mm hmm. I feel like it has something to do with that. I think for me, it was also very therapeutic. Yeah, it’s funny that you brought that up.

And I think one of the key words that you just alluded to was escaping. And you always think about somebody that’s in corporate America or a teacher, for example, and you’re trying to either find that out or find alternative revenue. So in that process. Right. So is that part of your journey? I mean, you want to educate people, that’s your passion. But obviously, being a teacher wasn’t going to give you the freedom that you wanted.

Is that part of the reason why you went down that road as well?

I would say that having multiple streams of income is absolutely a goal of mine. And to do something that I find just simply fun and find joy in was, you know, it had a lot to do with it. It really wasn’t the money, it really wasn’t I. Of course, I don’t sell my books. I mean, I sell my books, but it it wasn’t really the money and it had a lot to do with being exposed to children, girls especially, who have demonstrated a lack of self-esteem.

Had a lot to do with the theme and my book as well, and my books as well, so those are the reasons why I was drawn to creating these books, because I actually have two workbooks. And so the children’s book is surrounded around their themes, such as friendship. And I’m talking about self image, developing a positive self-image, but really in the workbooks they get a chance to do the work.

So I think part of that it is my next Segway, right, is it’s a it’s a part of your purpose. You have your wife as far as education, but in addition to both of those things, you’re really big into women empowerment. So you’re bringing like all three of these aspects to the table, which leads me to like your dream big. And I’m just painting the picture as I see it from the outside looking in. So talk a little bit about like, you know, you’ve got this image behind you with the pink dream big, which is completely different than your other brand.

So talk a little bit about that brand and how you’re doing more women empowerment through that strategy.

OK, so I just need you to go with me. And I mean, I need a dream big from you, so dream big.

OK, ok. I need you to say I need ok. OK, let when we do it like you do dream big. Thank you. You’re welcome. I’m starting a movement. OK, so, yes, everything.

Led up to dream big, however, it wasn’t intentional.

Things have a way of unfolding, so you look back and you say all along, this is what I was doing all along. In hindsight, I should say, in hindsight, I can see that there was a common thread. Initially, it all started with me being a child in so. Although I don’t really think that I’m a religious person, I would not describe myself as being a religious person. Some people may see my post and they may think that about me.

However, I do have a foundation that comes from being in church and being in church. I felt like as a young girl that the girls were ignored at times and everything in terms of coaching and support was for the young men or the young boys. And I remember feeling like they judged the girls and said, oh, our skirts were too short or, you know, we weren’t doing certain things, but no one really took the time. To stop and really guide us or redirect us in a way that I felt was nonjudgmental.

So you have to actually teach.

Before you, judge, I didn’t feel like we could receive that, OK, so that’s why I created the workbook, this one for young girls, because I felt like, you know.

We need women, young girls, especially of color needed. To have the positive reinforcement. And because I personally didn’t feel like I received it. So that is where that came from, but then I started speaking because I teach adults and then they started saying to me, Miss Jennings, you have a workbook for young girls, but what about us?

What about us? And so I was like, you know what, young girls, these young girls who are ignored or neglected become these young women. So what about them? And that’s how Dream Big really started to surface. For years, I have been doing a workshop called Dream Big, the virtual the wall, now it’s virtual, but it started out as the vision board experience. And so my I first started with my students at the beginning of the year.

We would do this vision board activity. But when it comes to Africa, nothing is really just an activity. You know, I have to be it has to be an experience as to be an experience. And so from that dream, that vision board activity, I developed the vision board experience. And so so that’s something that I actually offer as well. We do recently, about two weeks ago, I did for the first time, I did the virtual vision board experience.

And so to support or supplement that experience. The e-book was developed, so, I mean, your depiction of a chronological storyline that you just kind of laid out walking into it, right. My next question is we always hear about the 20 years it takes someone to be a success story, but it’s always perceived to be an overnight success. How long did it take you to get to where you are currently?

So I have been doing this for, let’s see, it started in.

Probably about two thousand and. I would say maybe like two thousand and ten. Or even before that, because they were like, I’ve always had this.

Entrepreneurial spirit. Well, as we you know, I think even back in high school, there were activities that, you know, we came up with the hustle every day.

I don’t know if you remember, but we had S.O.S in B.C. where you were part of that. Think I left by then? OK, so far with NBC was save our schools, no budget cuts to save our schools, no budget cuts.

And we so that was not like a business. But we came up with that idea. We went to city hall.

We were you know, we were out there. Yes. So we did that. And then with Miss Parker, our gym teacher, we wrote a grant and we were talking about I think this is the one where we had it was about safe sex. You got to remember that one. Anyway, but but I bring up that to say that, you know, I’ve always been a visionary always and been involved and, you know, just new ideas and creative projects.

So. And that’s how that’s how I look at what I’m doing now, like these are a continuation. These are projects. And so even back in high school, I guess we could say that, but. To really start. Making money, I would say maybe. I want to say two thousand and three, but because that that sticks out for me, because I’ve always been that person who has been the event planner.

Got it, got it in hosting events and and so I think that that was preparation toward just being my own boss. OK, so with that, is there anything that you would want to do differently if you could do it all over again? Yes, actually, so there are times when I received large sums of money, like I got into an accident, you know, received money that way or, you know, just different time.

But you had to clean it up because you set a suspect off like you pushing bricks like what’s called a quite like you were going there with an inheritance.

I actually received an inheritance from my grandfather who passed away, you know, many, many years ago. And so I wish that I would have taken that money and invested in my businesses or. Yeah, that’s it. Hmm.

Or purchase a property that could be my business location. So that’s what I would do differently. Just invest the money differently. Yeah.

It’s funny that you brought that up because I mean, every single day I like, you know, dealing with my son. I always tell him, like, you know, for every dollar you make, you can spend 10 to 20 percent of it in the other 80 percent, reinvest in the stash it. And, you know, like he was younger. He used to absorb that. Now he’s older. He’s kind of like but not everybody wants to live that way.

And I’m like, does your ass want to live broke forever?

Or do you want to be able to live the way you’re living now plus some when you get older?

So I kind of and it’s funny because every time I turn my back, I see him watching Shark Tank on the slot. So he’s he eat. Some of it is still there. So the point I’m bringing up next is like. Do you come from an entrepreneurial background like freemarket? I know he’s been raised in that environment like I would expect that he would take it and do something with it, but he’s free to do whatever he wants to do.

Did you grow up in an entrepreneurial household? Not at all, not at all, because I would say that both my mom and dad were.

The nine survivors, my mom, especially, she was a teacher, that’s not the reason why I’m a teacher, but she is a teacher and but for over 30 years, like, pretty much at the same school. So that speaks to, you know. Her perspective. Her perspective on how you should live your life, I mean, for many years, like many of my family members look at me like. You know, I’m crazy, for lack of a better word, like are you you know, this is what you’re doing until they actually see the quote.

But yeah, I would say no, no, not at all. And I often, like, wondered, like. Where did I get it from? Mm. You know, because it’s completely different for me, I looked at my mom and I looked at my dad and I said, no, that’s actually not how I want to live. I definitely will not retire as a teacher. Set it here first, a clear, loud and clear, so I mean, earlier on you alluded to that, obviously your mom.

So how do you juggle your work life with your family life and your entrepreneur life and everything else you got going on? You got a lot of things juggling. So how do you do that? And the pandemic is not the first time we survived a pandemic, but yes, and a pandemic.

Well, but it is the first time for me having I work remotely and my children go to school remotely. And I would have to say it’s. I do it, it’s not easy. There are some nights when I go to bed really, really late and there are some mornings where I’m up really, really early just to make sure that I get everything done. So, yeah.

So you’re talking about like your morning habit. Sometimes you wake up really early, sometimes you go to bed really late. So what’s your morning routine, your morning habits that you do?

OK, so I would say. Flexibility for me is the key, because, as I said, there are some nights when I go to bed late and it’s not like I’ll go to bed late and then still wake up early, but I might. One thing that I say I’d have to say that I do consistently is. And although it’s not always structured, I always begin my day. With meditation. That may not always look the same, but I wake up and I’m still.

For like, I don’t just get right up, like I actually just take a moment to just think. About just positive positivity, positive thoughts, like I am big on affirmations. Big affirmations, because that’s actually what I believe gets me through. Hmm. So, oh, no, I’m lizarazo with the affirmations.

And I think that’s a very important thing because I’ve asked that question to several dozen people at this point in time. And if it’s not meditation, if it’s not yoga, it’s book reading or it’s music, it’s always something in that formula to kind of trigger your brain to kind of wake up. So in that. Right. I decided to create an online book club, and it’s going to be launching soon. So what recommendations from like obviously your book Dream Big would be a book that you could recommend.

What other books are in that particular genre of business owners, entrepreneurs that you’ve read or that you reading that you would want to recommend?

So when I was thinking about that. I read a book a long time ago, I think I may have been a teenager and. It was called The Trillionaire. Farrah Gray, Mark. And that came to mind because I think that was the book that shifted something in me.

Having read that book, I felt like this, I think it was like 14 or 15 and he was a millionaire. And I and I thought about it, I was like. Why is it that me? Why is it that me, if this 14 year old can do it? I need to start thinking differently. I need to adjust some things or furthermore, I can do it. So that was one of the books that really made a difference for me.

I often recommend to my students and my adult students to read the seven habits of highly effective adults right people, seven habits of highly effective people and. But they have this there’s a program that we use, it’s not necessarily just the book, but it takes you through steps on each one of the effect, the highly effective habits. And they’re like activities that you actually have to do in order to just like really tap into those habits. And I really feel like.

They that book helped also with the paradigm shift, you have to shift your beliefs and your thinking in order to become someone who is highly effective. And with that being said, that’s how it’s connected to the affirmations for me, because reshaping my thoughts. Constantly reminding myself to be positive, being intentional about what it is that I’m actually thinking. Has really helped me, and so those two books really stand out for me. I mean, I’ve read so many books, so many books, but those were the two that came to memory when I was thinking about the books that I was reading.

So with that right. I mean, you have the dream big book and obviously you have affirmations in there and it’s kind of who does that book really for?

I mean, who would you if I was in a room of 100 people and you can talk to 10, 20, 30 percent of that room. Who would that person be? Who would be the ideal person to pick up your book and read it?

And what? I think the ideal person would be someone and not necessarily a male or a female, but someone who needs the reminders because it’s it’s a dream big, but it’s positive notes for daily living because.

You have to remind yourself daily, it’s not just something that you can just say, OK, I’m going to think this thought today. No, because then something happens that shifts you your day or your mood. And then at the beginning of the next day, you have to remind yourself. So anyone, anyone who needs reminders. Of just that they need to speak positively to themselves. Oh, good. So with all the things that you have going on, right, you have a family, you have the business, you have school, we have education.

You have a party in the background, which is fantastic these days can say it’s kind of in the background.

Right. But what do you see yourself in 20 years? No. Where do I see myself in 20 years, including you and your business? I mean, they’re one and the same, any solar panel or entrepreneur. We understand it. Our life and our business are essentially one and the same. So where do you see that unit of you and your business in 20 years from now? Well, in 20 years, I really would like to have less of a hands on approach.

I would like for my businesses to actually be running themselves.

Ultimately, that is the goal so that I could spend more time doing what I find joy in, and that is being a motivational speaker, connecting with people.

So, yeah, I’m just I’m just thinking about this. I mean, it’s just kind of like. I mean, usually when I hear that statement, it is usually when I’m saying, OK, like, do you and have you tried to develop systems in place like automation and documenting everything that you do on a day to day basis and optimize it out. So you kind of reflect and looked at it. Have you done that yet?

No. Know the first step. And that’s that’s the first step. And I’m just I’m just I’m like, I’m just going to just give you the free consult straight up and down.

Like, that’s the first step to that strategy is to document everything. And I think it was it was an episode of Season two, episode two, and it was Damon. And we was talking about Damon’s business and he developed with CEO Metropolis.

And he went from like one hundred thousand three hundred thousand five hundred dollars to where he’s in the millions now. But he said the thing that changed his business was that he stopped everything he was doing and he documented all his processes, all of them. It took him like a year to get everything listed out. But then once he had a documented, then it made it completely easy for him to delegate because now he knows exactly what he wants and how it needs to be done in all the steps and procedures, even the little details, even like like your pink.

You may say the pink is this is somebody maybe you want to put the exact pink number down. You want to say, hey, I want my font to be that. You want to put every single detail you can in the document and then take that document and delegate it out. And then you’ll get your dream to be systematic and then you can go and speak.

Thank you. Taking notes.

Thank you so much. Yeah, that’s good advice.

Thank you. No problem. So I mean, talking about. All right. What to do, you and your business. I mean obviously you got a lot of different things going on. So like what software are you using right now to kind of essentially manage or juggle and kind of adapt what you’re doing into your lifestyle? So I use Gum Road, Gombauld has been wonderful with the sales for my ebook.

Basically, ah, if you’re familiar with it I don’t think of course but oh well, I always thought your facial expression.

I don’t know if you well, I’m familiar with it, but I would just say it wouldn’t be the application I would use if I was in your shoes.

Oh, we’ll see that. The question I have for you afterwards. OK. OK, but ok. So I’m using gum wrote for that. I also use PayPal business, which is for the hard copy books that I have created.

Can I say was one that I don’t really like. Yeah. Go ahead.

OK, so at the beginning of, you know, this whole book process.

Everyone is like, you know, put the books on Amazon. Make sure your book is on Amazon and be in and that com. I have to say. I don’t really like that platform to sell my books. Because there are a couple of reasons why. Well, for one, I don’t really know who’s purchasing my books. And I mean, you know, as a you know, I’m still kind of on a small scale for the children’s book.

And so I really want to know, like, I want to know who’s, you know, supporting me.

And I don’t like it because of that.

And then they just keep dropping the price. That’s a good thing.

Is it? Yes, so I’ll tell you what, it’s a good thing and based upon the algorithm, but if your book price is dropping without you dropping it, yeah, it is a great thing for you.

Oh. All right. Keep going. Keep going. Keep keep keep chop it up and. But keep going.

OK, well, you know, I love Amazon for other things. I just don’t like it for me personally right now as an author. But those two things are the reasons pretty much why.

I just I got scared I’m going to bite my tongue, but I just can’t let that last part. So just give you a little insight about Amazon, right? And you later on, you have to ask any questions want. But Amazon, when they drop your price, they’re still paying you your full royalties. That’s that’s why it’s a good thing, so they’re dropping the price because you’re having traffic and they’re going to continue to market that product for you.

Much like how Wal-Mart would say price cutting and as price cuts come, people will buy more. So Amazon gets a bite of any percentage, whether it’s a penny or five cents or five dollars, they think in volume. So they drop the price because you have an influx of people going to that particular product in the algorithm is saying, oh, my God, people are buying, let’s make more people buy, let people share, let people delegate, let people know that this book was 999 and now seven nine out.

Now it’s five. Ninety nine more sales go up. You still get the same royalties that you originally set up in Amazon is still going to get royalties no matter who’s listening to more people. So instead of getting one thousand, now they’ve got two thousand if you add 50 50 together. So 100 percent to them, they don’t care either way. So that’s that’s golden, right, as far as business wise, Amazon does everything for a reason, and that’s why they like the big monster when it comes to publications.

So if you ever see your price being dropped, you just sit back and relax, keep dropping it. Thank you very much.

OK, I feel better now. Yeah. Yeah. And to your other point about them not giving you the list and giving you your name. That’s why this other components before they get to Amazon and obviously, you know, you’re using the game road, but you can have way more control using landing pages or out than pages and you send your traffic to the op ed page. So before they even get access to your book, before they even get access, anything else, then you’re sending them to a funnel.

And by sending them to that funnel, you’re capturing that name.

So we’re going to talk about that. Yes, we will.

So, like, going into like like final words of wisdom, I’m at this point, can I said the other day, I was like, I’m a young 21 year old woman. And my guess is like, no, you ain’t.

So I’m a young individual person growing up with entrepreneur tendencies. And I see you as a figure that as my role model. What words of wisdom would you say to me to inspire me to follow in your footsteps?

Well, I’ll start off by saying difficult does not mean impossible, and what where I where I’m going with that is. It’s not easy, the journey is not always easy. I would say, in fact, for most people, the journey to success has been difficult. But although it’s difficult. It doesn’t mean that you’re not going to accomplish what you set out, so. Don’t give up. Keep going, just keep going, keep going, keep going.

I remember you encouraged me a couple of what was that a couple of months ago, or it might be like almost a year at this point where you are like, hey, what’s going on with the book? And I was like, I’ll get to it. Do you remember that?

Yeah, I do. And that’s when I saw this. I was just like, yes. So yes, keep going, keep going. Don’t stop no matter what it looks like. And I mean, like, if you have you go live, you have one person just keep going. That one to into two and that’s will turn into four. And it’ll just keep growing if you’re consistent. That’s the key right there, is being consistent and keep progressing, and I think a lot of people, they they miss that they’ll start doing something and they will not see that.

And it’s funny because it’s whether it’s paid, whether you’re paying for ads or whether you’re paying someone to do something or whether you’re doing it for yourself. And it’s always goes back to that image. Well, always the illustration of of who Connells and the Bogarts have pitchforks and they’re digging and digging. And one of them stops and he’s like an inch away from the diamonds. And the other one, he’s a mile away, but he’s steadfast and he’s going to get the diamonds eventually.

It’s the same principle that that you just demonstrated. And I think people they need to understand that you’ve got to be consistent and you’ve got to push through.

So so what can people find you online? I mean I mean, Web site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, lights, camera, action. We’re going to find you.

So my website is w w w that Erica Jennings dot com.

And so you can find all of the products there for the E book. I am on Gum Road, but I think I have a feeling we’re going to talk.

Yeah, we’re going to love if you want to talk about it.

Yes. Yes. And so my Facebook is Erica Jennings, Eric K. a Jennings and my Instagram my G is at E believable. E believable.

So that’s how you can find me.

Oh, so throw them into the bonus round the bonus questions. Right. So my favorite bonus question and I think I just love this question because I always say the same thing, that no matter who asks this question too, the answer is going to be uniquely different every single time. So if you could spend twenty four hours with anybody dead or alive, uninterrupted for twenty four hours, who would it be and why? You’re putting me on the spot.

Who would it be and why and why? OK. We’ve been at Jeopardy music to do so. I if I could spend twenty four hour hours with anyone, I would want to spend twenty four hours with God but like, you know, not in heaven, not ever to come back.

But and because I want to know like I want the jewels, I want the keys, I want to know what I need to do in order to obtain the success that I desire. And I feel like it’s. It comes from. The like, I want the divine inspiration, but if I could have God in the physical with me for 20 hours, I would definitely take that.

You know, that’s interesting. I’ve heard Jesus before. But do you want to trump that? I mean, by all means, you kind of go one step up the food chain.

This is a pretty pretty interesting answer. I got another bonus question for you. If you could be a superhero, who would it be and why?

I could be a superhero. Who would he be and why? Jeopardy music once again.

Do, do, do, do. Well, I would create my own.

OK, I would create my own superhero and which I could specifically design or just give all of the different characteristics that I would want. I would clefts her, I would craft her to be exactly what I want her to be.

There’s going to have to be some magic in there because my book is about magic and I really just. Oh, yeah, Athens spent 24 hours with God, I’m sure you’ll be able to get the insights on how to create.

Like what you see, this is where my my imagination comes.

Yeah, yeah, I could see it created like this. I created the children’s book.

Fair enough. Fair enough. This is a time where I pass the microphone to you and you can ask me any question that you would like.

Thank you. Well, first of all, I would like to say that I am so proud of you, so proud of you. And I think that because I have known you for so long and I’ve known you since you were a kid, we were both kids.

I’m so proud of, you know, everything that you have accomplished and and the the man that you have grown to be. So I just want to say that I want to say that thank you so much for this opportunity and for already just dropping those jewels on me.

But the question I didn’t know that you had so many talents, although I do know that you’ve always been pretty special. But but I mean in terms of your businesses. So I really just want to know how I can like. So earlier I was just thinking about. Just marketing. How to go from where I am to the next level, because, you know, you can always go higher and I think I don’t know what that’s like a question that is for another time or that we have to, like, do some consulting.

But I’m definitely going to tap into that.

Yeah, I mean, I could definitely. So to paraphrase your question, you’re one you’re asking me how can you take where you are and market it to the next level? Right. So I would just pull them back this conversation about maybe 15, 20 minutes ago about the whole game, Road versus Amazon thing. The main reason why and I was going to tell you that the story of why people use Amazon, because Amazon is kind of like if I want to watch a movie, what’s the first thing you’re going to think about?

If I want to watch a digital movie online, what’s the first company that’s going to pop your hit?

Netflix. That was you didn’t say old school at Blockbuster, you didn’t say Hulu, you didn’t say Disney, you said Netflix, because Netflix is pretty much the new blockbuster. But do you think about publication? Will Amazon started from delivering books that’s out of his garage. So you have to understand, Dave, understand the algorithm of books. They understand the algorithm of people, much like how Facebook understands people’s behaviors. Amazon understands that. And they have millions upon millions of users.

So, no, they may have a few million and people may or may not find your book on there, but on Amazon through the categories you can people don’t realize you can list 10 categories and those categories if you become a top seller in those categories, your books automatically going to sell to your other point. Your numbers were dropping down. They say the book was 999 and they were changing the price to seven nine. And that’s also a gift in itself because now Amazon is saying people are buying your books.

Let’s get more people to buy your books. So if you keep playing with the algorithm, Amazon is always going to work for you. And to think about your book is not the end all resource for your revenue. It’s a gateway. Right. So if you’re thinking about OK, like what do I market my books? I mean, I don’t even like I put a lot of content into my books and I put it out there and sometimes I check my sales, but for me is more so if I’m having a conversation with somebody about a particular topic, I can refer them to my book, or if I’m on a podcast, I could talk about my book and into that book.

Do the chapters in that book is Atomizing. All my other services is talking about my other ventures and talking like like on this show. I’m talking about a book club, but there’s monetizations with book clubs that people don’t even realize that you can monetize. So I can give away my book to everybody in my book club and by default, by me creating a book club and talking to people and giving them my books, the fallout is going to be services or is going to be other products that I may or may not sell.

So for you, you have a dream big book, right? But you’re a real diamond is you. And to your point about being a motivational speaker, you’re going to have to figure out how to keep the monetization level to where it is now and scale it by putting you in front of the camera and using your book as a gateway. So don’t think of the book. A lot of times you hear marketers say they’re giving away a book for free.

That’s what you want to start getting into your book away for free and convert. Or the other way of doing it is go to big like big corporations and sell your service and sell your book as part of that package. But think about it. That book was coming from Amazon. If you were buying your books directly from Amazon and a corporation is buying the books from you, this zero cost to you and you become a number one top seller about fault because these corporations are buying 50 to 60 books at a time.

And your numbers and Amazon are going to shoot up every single time you make those purchases that will repeat, step or repeat step repeat makes perfect sense.

Perfect. And that’s just like a few of the little elements in the world that you can do before you, I would definitely want to create like a landing page. That’s your first. And you want to create some kind of funnel and you want to put people in a funnel. The more people you put in the funnel, the better. It’s like a pipeline with holes in it. You want the asshole to fall out. You want the people that’s not going to spend money, the fallout and at the end of it, you’re going to get the pure people, the people that you’re looking for, the people that want to hear your voice, the people that love you.

Oh, my God. I want to be like her lights, camera, action, everything she has. I want I want a T-shirt. I want a hat. I want to get my hair like I wore glasses. That’s the people that you want at the end of the tunnel. But it’s only one way to find them. You got to put them in a tunnel to be fun. We definitely have a consultation coming up for sure.

I mean, I look forward to I mean, this is I mean, to your point, I mean, I definitely I appreciate you coming on the show. I definitely appreciate your little. And at the end, I really appreciate it, because it’s kind of funny when you said, I don’t really look at myself like that no more, it’s like I’m on some other shit, but at the same time.

So that crazy dude, it’s that a different. But it’s sitting in my seat. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, you sit in your seat together, you know, I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean for our listeners, she seemed she seemed to get like suspended, pretty much expelled from schools, handcuffed in police cars. She’s seen all that shit so.

Well, I was going to say that I remember sitting in math class and you sitting next to me and I was passing notes that, you know, I was talking about the were smart enough in math, whether it’s kind of one of those things, man.

I mean, life has a way of correcting itself, so. Absolutely. Definitely.

Well, I definitely appreciate you coming on the show. Definitely a great episode. And I look forward to seeing what you can do next.

Thank. This was great, great essay, Grant, over and out.