Warning: I’m going on a rant here.
There are too many rah-rah conferences for entrepreneurs.
You know what I’m talking about. 2 or 3 days of drinking from a firehose with non-stop speakers back-to-back, spewing too many ideas.
Speaker after speaker telling you how you just need to hustle more and wake up early, and if youre already waking up early, you need to wake up even earlier.
And if you are already waking up earlier, you need to just work straight through the night.
Because sleep is for the weak.
And you need to pass out more business cards and you need to be on every social media channel and you need to master Facebook ads and don’t forget Instagram.
And Pinterest. And Vine.
Strike that. Twitter just killed Vine.
But you need to be on whatever comes next.
So you fill yourself up with too many ideas, get inspired and excited for 24 or 48 hours like a sugar rush, and then nothing.
You go home, and you’re not sure what to do next.
You have no clear plan.
No one holds you accountable.
Thousands of dollars down the drain.
Its like gorging yourself on all-you-can-eat buffet but the rest of the year you’re still hungry.
Do these events REALLY move the needle in your business?
I see a lot of people spend THOUSANDS of dollars flying around the country going to event after event, while their business limps along.
People go to these conferences because it feels like they’re making progress on their business, but if you really look at whether there’s ROI or if you made serious changes and improvements to your business, its questionable.
Sure, its fun. That’s why people are eager to snap up a ticket when they see the conference sales page with row after row of pictures of speakers who made themselves famous by talking into their webcam.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about meeting new people and forging new valuable relationships.
I’ve been to lots of conferences and like meeting new people.
But I like creating progress in my business more.
And I hate seeing people delude themselves into thinking they are doing the right things for their business when its clearly not working.
And there are certainly some great conferences. Like Jayson Gaignard’s Mastermind Talks, which brings together a small, curated group with high-touch well-thought-out group experiences that as much a part of the event as the speakers. And Michael & Amy Ports Heroic Public Speaking Live, which mixes a lot of creative group work and exercises with speakers.
But most conferences are not like that.
Going to an event with thousands of attendees and sitting on your butt listening to a pep talk most of the time is NOT the best way to meet the right people or to create sustained progress in your business.
Here’s a rule of thumb. If you go to an event and leave having met fewer than 1% of the other attendees, you’re doing it wrong.
And if you don’t leave with a plan for what you need to work on next, and you don’t have anyone to hold you accountable (or better yet a community of your peers to hold you accountable), you and I both know all those ideas you listened to aren’t going to put more money in your bank account.
I heard this great quote from Seth Godin recently While you and I have been running down dead ends and wasting our effort, scientists have been busy trying to figure out what actually works. And now they know. Small steps works. Consistent effort works. Group support works. That’s it. 3 things.
So what is the lesson here?
You heard it from the man. You have 3jobs.
Take small steps.
And surround yourself with a group that will support you and lift you up.
Do that, and you’ll see amazing results.
Join Us for a 12-Month Sprint & Group Accountability
Of course, achieving the three goals Godin laid out for us is not easy.
In fact, it’s hard as hell.
That’s why I created Rise25 Inner Circle with my business partner, Dr. Jeremy Weisz.
Rise25 Inner Circle is an exclusive accountability and group coaching program for professional services entrepreneurs who want to scale up.
You can learn all about it and apply here.
Our goal with Rise25 is to create a community of peers to hold one another accountable, along with steady guidance from Jeremy and I.
Through the Inner Circle, we work with other professional services entrepreneurs who are SERIOUS. We’re looking for people who don’t just want to attend an 2-day inspirational pep talk led by a guy who needs to switch to Decaf but who want to set specific, tangible and achievable goals, figure out the micro steps to achieve those goals, and EXECUTE.
Otherwise, you’re just running around the country, wasting time.
So make every second count.
If it excites you to have greater execution and accountability for your business goals then check out the video and fill out an application and maybe we can work together. Apply here.