Dropping Bombs

Brad Lea sits down with Brad Martineau in the 99th episode of Dropping Bombs. Martineau is the founder of Sixth Division, an agency laser-focused on helping brands grow and scale with marketing automation. That passion for process comes from Martineau's 7+ years leading the Product Development team at Infusionsoft.

In today's Dropping Bombs, Martineau shares some valuable insights to help make sure your team never leaves a lead unfollowed, including:

• Why tools should never precede strategy. Buying a new tool isn't a be-all-end-all fix, especially if it doesn't communicate with your other automations to create a cohesive process. Per Martineau, "If you just do automation for the sake of automation, it's soul-sucking."
• How automation is about the experience—both for your leads and existing clients, as well as your internal team. The experience you deliver is the single greatest leverage point you have to grow and scale your business.
• Why "journeys" are greater than funnels. Journeys organize your process and create consistency in the way people move through your business so that they have a cohesive experience.
• How marketing automation can maximize your capacity. By taking care of tasks that consume your staff's bandwidth, you can create a better experience for a greater number of people without needing to hire a small army.
• Why it's important to treat every sales conversion like an event. Did someone schedule a demo or consultation call? Prepare leads to get the most out of your time together and you'll add value to the experience.

If you want to make sure no single lead goes to waste, Brad Martineau has created a special offer specifically for the Bomb Squad! Just head to www.sixthdivision.com/bombs and schedule your free audit. The automation experts at Sixth Division will help you optimize your process and create a game plan FOR FREE—just click the link above.

Brad Lea sits down with Brad Martineau in the 99th episode of Dropping Bombs. Martineau is the founder of Sixth Division, an agency laser-focused on helping brands grow and scale with marketing automation. That passion for process comes from Martineau’s 7+ years leading the Product Development team at Infusionsoft. In today’s Dropping Bombs, Martineau shares some valuable insights to help make sure your team never leaves a lead unfollowed.

Marketing strategist and creative hustler Jasmine Star dropped out of law school 13 years ago to pick up a camera and follow her dreams. Now known for her award-winning photography and legendary Instagram presence, Jasmine joins Brad Lea to share some of what she learned along the way. Here's a taste of what they covered...

On owning social media:

• Leverage whatever is popular in the now. Blogging, twitter, facebook. Whatever the next iteration is, get there because it's free to use, the land is cheap, and you can build a resort on it.
• Swapping like-for-like makes social media a transaction instead of a conversation. Instead, look at it like a great, big cocktail party—and only you get to decide how much fun you have. Curate your feed in a way that feeds you.

On starting your dream business:

• We all suck when you first start doing something! What people see today is 13 years as a hustling entrepreneur who had to teach herself everything. Don't compare my 13 years of experience with your two years. Two years in, you're not going to be driving a hot car and invited to the big parties. It takes time to be great.
• When we do the same thing over and over, we run the risk of having it become rote. Stop defining your possibilities by your current role. You won't grow by staying comfortable.
• What is your value proposition, what makes you different, and how can you use it to help others? At the end of the day, it's your job to create different iterations of your business that keep you inspired, but also give you the ability to impact lives.
• Working harder doesn't always guarantee. You need to have a strategy. What got you here won't get you there. You need to step back and ask yourself "What isn't working?"

On following your dreams:

• There was a time in my career where I had nothing, I was nothing, I owned nothing. I couldn't come from any other place than sheer authenticity. And, somewhere in the middle of my career when the awards and accolades starting coming in, I thought I had to be somebody that I wasn't, and people can smell it.

• Be authentic, be yourself. Because you'll repel the people who shouldn't be around you and attract the ones who should.
• My number-one attribute is resiliency. I Spent most of my life never being cool enough, smart enough, fast enough, or skinny enough. But I was the person who kept working hard.

Want to learn how to curate your own party like Jasmine? Follow her @jasminestar across platforms. If you're interested in building a marketing and branding blueprint for your own business, check out The Path to Profitability—an eight-week course to help you outline the why, what, and how of your professional aspirations.

Marketing strategist and creative hustler Jasmine Star dropped out of law school 13 years ago to pick up a camera and follow her dreams. Now known for her award-winning photography and legendary Instagram presence, Jasmine joins Brad Lea to share some of what she learned along the way.

Meet Steve Sims, the modern-day Wizard of Oz. Steve is the founder and owner of The Bluefish, an international, luxury concierge company that's known for arranging anything their client's desire.

Bluefish provides the impossible. We're talking the highest level of personalized travel, transportation, and cutting-edge entertainment services to corporate executives, celebrities, professional athletes, and other discerning individuals interested in living life to its fullest.

Sure, Blueish service has some limitations. Says Steve, "I won't work with anyone I don't get along with, and I won't arrange something that I don't agree with. (Heads out of the gutter, kids.)

With that in mind, when we say "anything," we pretty much mean it! Here are just a few of the experiences Bluefish has arranged:

• Married in the Vatican, officiated by the Pope
• Down to the Titanic
• Flying a supersonic jet in Russia
• Met the rock band Journey. (Steve thought that was too lame, so Bluefish put him on stage and he sang four songs with the band as well.)
• Guitar lessons with ZZ Top
• Drum lessons with Guns n' Roses
• Piano lessons with Elton John

In this episode of Dropping Bombs, Steve sits down with Brad to talk about being a "connector"--the type of person who can bring network with the best of them--and how to monetize that networking skill. Here are just a few of the insights they shared:

• If you want to earn money, you've got to be able to talk to people with money. To negotiate with them.
• The easiest way to piss off anyone in power is to put a price on their time. Instead, I try to get them involved in the passion of it, why they should be interested.
• How important it is to get out of your comfort zone and ask. People aren't scared of failing; they're scared of others seeing them fail. But, how can you get something remarkable done if you're too afraid to ask?
• Know HOW to ask. If you pose a yes/ no question, you'll most likely hear a "No!" Instead of asking, "Can I get in?" Ask, "What's got to happen for me to get in here?" and you're far more likely to get your foot in the door.
• Be conversational when you're asking. Make sure you're conversational and enjoyable to talk to. After all, no one's ever going to help an a**hole.
• Always wear your suit when you might run into the Pope.
• What value is money if you can't spend it? Money is there to give you better cocktail stories.
• If you get a "No," you're asking the wrong person or the wrong question.

So, how does Steve Sims open the doors for so many unbelievable moments? "If you're spending time worrying about how impossible something is, you'll never get it done. Instead, ask yourself, 'Why shouldn't I be throwing the opening pitch at a ball game or taking a selfie with my favorite band?'"

"By asking 'Why not?'" Steve says, "you'll be AMAZED at what you can achieve.

Want to learn how to open doors and make things happen to like Steve Sims? Check out his book, Bluefishing: The Art of Making Things Happen. Or head to www.stevedsims.com, where you can find "The Course." A steal at $297, Steve's course teaches you how to communicate effectively and ask questions without hearing the word "No."

Brad chats with Steve Sims, the modern-day Wizard of Oz. Steve is the founder and owner of The Bluefish, an international, luxury concierge company that’s known for arranging anything their client’s desire.

"Somewhere down the line, people heard that you only have to work eight hours a day. For an entrepreneur, that's just not true. Eight hours into my day is just gettings started."

Phares Martin knows a thing or two about hard work. Growing up in the Mennonite church, he started chores as soon as he could walk, working on the farm, and even lived without electricity.

All that hard work taught Phares the value of, well, hard work.

So, what gave Phares Martin the courage to risk debt and start his own business despite being cut off from family and friends after leaving the Mennonite church? "I'd rather take a risk for myself than work for someone else."

💣 People overthink when they want to start a business. Just get two or three people and get started. Once you get started, you figure it out. Getting started is the most important thing.

💣 Learning is something that you never really stop doing.

💣 Half of something is better than all of nothing.

💣 Too many people are more worried about what someone else is doing on Facebook or Instagram than getting some work in.

💣 The most important thing in business is to do what you say you're going to do, and keep people updates as you go.

Brad Lea sits down with Phares Martin to talk about how the values of hard work, high-quality results, and personal integrity are the backbone of building a successful business. But the real key? Just get out there and get started! Listen and learn how.

Dan Fleyshman, the youngest founder of a publicly traded company in history, joins Brad for the 95th episode of Dropping Bombs. How did Dan rocket to success at such an early age?

In high school, worked 3 different jobs to save up money to start a company of his own. Dan leveraged that money to trademark the phrase "Who's your daddy?" for 300 different products, then licensed it out for 9.5 million to Starter Apparel. After spending a few years selling clothing to department stores, he started a poker site and continued to rake in the cash.

But everything came to a screeching halt when the US government put a ban on online poker. In this Dropping Bombs, you'll learn how Dan Fleyshman persevered when all his competitors crashed and burned.

Dan Fleyshman, the youngest founder of a publicly traded company in history, joins Brad for the 95th episode of Dropping Bombs. How did Dan rocket to success at such an early age?

In high school, worked 3 different jobs to save up money to start a company of his own. Dan leveraged that money to trademark the phrase "Who's your daddy?" for 300 different products, then licensed it out for 9.5 million to Starter Apparel. After spending a few years selling clothing to department stores, he started a poker site and continued to rake in the cash.

But everything came to a screeching halt when the US government put a ban on online poker. In this Dropping Bombs, you'll learn how Dan Fleyshman persevered when all his competitors crashed and burned.