Transcription
So I'm here with an old friend of mine, Amy Porterfield. And Amy has a brand new book coming out. We're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about all things getting started. Amy, welcome. So happy to have you here.
Oh my goodness, I'm so happy to be here. Thanks for having me, Jeff.
So tell us about your book, "Two Weeks Notice".
Okay, so "Two Weeks Notice". The subtitle is "Find the Courage to Quit Your Job, Make More Money, Work Where You Want, and Change the World". And I wrote this book because almost 14 years ago, I left my very last job. As you know, I worked for Tony Robbins as the director of content development. I got to travel the world and work on the content that Tony does on stage, Unleash the Power Within, Date with Destiny. So here I was at this job, I'd been there for about six years and I will tell the story of why I left, but I got the courage to finally leave. And I went out on my own and realized I have no idea what I'm doing. I was so clueless about building an online business. So I wrote this book because I wish I had it when I was first starting out. And I know there's a lot of people out there that don't even realize our world exists. I call it our world 'cause both of us have been living in the online space for so long. But there's people out there, Jeff, that don't realize how good it can be. And I'm on a mission to get more and more people to start exploring entrepreneurship and seeing if they want to create their own businesses as well.
So Amy, you've become such an icon in this industry, leading so many people, being one of the leading female trainers and teachers, which I think is awesome because that's something that shifted from when I started out. It was all a bunch of dudes. And so I celebrate that, but you've got such an icon. You're so, you show up, you're so polished, everything looks great. You've got this massive podcast and people forget that we all started off somewhere, you know, they think we just magically appeared, fully formed.
(Amy laughing)
So like we were just, before we hit record, we were talking about those early days and your initial start. And you want to just talk a little bit about that?
I do. And this is such a special moment for me because you are part of my very beginning. So here's what happened. I was at, like I said, I was working for Tony Robbins and Tony decided to have a meeting where I guess you could call it a focus group where he was bringing in a bunch of online business owners because he was starting to sell courses online and getting more in the online space. And he wanted to hear about what all of these guys were doing in the online space 'cause he knew so many guys out there were killing it with building businesses online. So he decided to have this meeting and he invited a bunch, they're all guys, you were one of them. So you were at the table, Brendan Bouchard, name some other people that were there.
Frank Kern.
No, Frank Kern was there.
Evan Pagan.
Mike Kenitz.
Mike Kenitz was there.
And I dunno if Evan was at that meeting. He talked to him after I think.
Oh, he talked to him after? So yeah, so, but there were some like key players. I didn't know any of you guys, but there were some, like you guys were the Mac-daddies of all online businesses. And I learned later. And so I was humbly called to the meeting to take notes. So I was sitting at a side table, I wasn't even at the main big oak table. And Tony went around and he said, tell me about your businesses. And as you know, people were in all different industries, like real estate, investing, relationship building, online marketing, so many different things. And so one by one, each of you went around and all I heard was freedom. I heard that you were working when you wanted, where you wanted, how you wanted, you guys were all incredibly creative, you were making amazing money and you were making a huge impact. Like you talked about your students and the things that you teach. And in that moment, for the first time in my life, I thought, I don't know what these guys are doing, but I want that. I wanted freedom. And I realized I had never really had it. I grew up with a really strict dad. It was his way or the highway, that was my first boss. And then I went into the corporate world and I was really good at being a corporate girl. Like I was climbing the corporate ladder. I wanted all the awards and the promotions. I really fueled myself on external validation. If Tony Robbins said I did a good job, I thought my whole world was made. And so I really lived in that. But for the first time in my life I thought, wait a second, there's something else I want more than all of this. And also more than security, more than comfort, I wanted freedom. So it was that moment that everything changed for me. And I love that you were there and I love that we are still friends. It's like the coolest thing ever. And I look up to you so much. I love everything you do and so--
Amy tell tell the truth now. Was there a part of like, if those jokers can do this, then I can obviously do this.
I think there was probably a part of me like, well wait a second, I don't know what they're doing. But yeah, if they can figure it out, probably I can. Like you look at Frank Kern, he's in like board shorts and a T-shirt and here we are in a boardroom and I'm like, what is happening here? These guys are very casual, so yeah, and I didn't know you guys were such big deals, so I'm like, who are these guys? So yeah, there probably was a little of that. That's funny. I've never been asked that question.
I, yeah, I could see that. Just like really these guys, they're doing that. It's like.
Exactly. But it was really cool to see and you guys were all really good friends. There was something I've never talked about before and I don't write about this in the book. There was a community among you all. You knew each other well, you guys did things together, you affiliated for each other. I liked that community too. And I thought, I just want to be a part of that. And so I was on a mission to figure it out.
And you said within a year from there, you left your position. So this is fascinating to me because like how people make that decision to jump to full-time. How did that go for you? Were you super methodical, say, I'm going to save up X number of dollars, I'm going to do da da da da da, I'm going to do all these things. Or it was just like burn the boats, I'm committed, I'm going to go do it? Because there's those two different--
There are, yes. There's two very different ways to do it. And I know many people who have done it one way versus the other and it's work for them. I am not a girl that's going to burn the boats and just jump. I need some safety, I need a little bit of planning. Even though I wanted that freedom, I still had to kind of take baby steps. So the first thing I did is I asked, this is very specific to me, but I asked to move over to the marketing department. I had been at the company for a while. I had a really good track record and there was some openings in marketing and because you all were doing marketing and you were doing all this stuff online, I thought I need to be close to that. And so I got to move over to marketing, which is huge. But then from there, there's actual things that I've done that I call it the runway. And anybody listening right now that wants to leave a nine to five job, I outlined this all throughout "Two Weeks Notice" but I'm going to tell you just quickly what it looks like. The first thing I did is I got clear on my why. We all need a really clear why. Like why do I want to leave a job that pays me well or I get to travel and work with Tony Robbins. Why would I ever want to do that? Because I knew I'd never be free and I'd always hit a glass ceiling, especially as a female. So I knew I wanted freedom. That was very clear. So on the days that my worries knocked me down, who am I to be doing this? I'm not smart enough. I can't do what these guys are doing. When my worries knock me down, my why would pick me back up. So the why is crucial. That's the first thing you do. Get clear. Number two, you got to choose an exit date. So after that meeting, it took probably a good three, four months for me to be like, wait a second, I really want to leave. So I had to choose an exit date and I put it on a post-it note. At that point it was like maybe six months out I put it on a post-it note, put it on a mirror. And every day I looked at that and thought, what do I need to do today to move me closer to that date? Because I am leaving no matter what on that date. Like for instance, one of the things I did one day was there was this girl online, her name's Laura Rotor, she's not actually doing the same stuff anymore. But at the time she had a business I wanted, like she had digital courses, she was teaching marketing, she had a great social, I wanted her business. So I went to her website, I looked up her contact page and I sent her an email and I said, "I know you don't offer this, but can I pay you for an hour of your time and ask you how you built your business?" And she said yes. So when the day came, it was my lunch hour, the walls were thin at Tony Robbins. I was so nervous someone was going to hear me cause no one knew yet that I wanted to leave. I crawl under my desk, get on my phone and I'm whispering to her like, "Tell me how you built your business." And she's whispering back, which was very weird. But I wanted to know everything. Like when did you create your first course? How much did it cost? Like, I wanted to know all these details and she was so generous. I mean I paid her, but she actually did this. So that's what I mean by what do you need to do today to move you closer? Do you need to buy a digital course? Do you need to listen to Jeff's podcast? Do you need to read "Launch"? Like what do you need to get you ready for when you do leave? It's so important to think about that. But you have your date. So no matter what you're sticking to that. Now the next thing you've got to do is tell three people and only three people, because this is the important part. The more people you tell, "I'm going to leave my job and start a business," they're going to tell you, you are crazy because they've never done that. They're going to tell you we're in a recession, people are getting laid off, left and right. Why would you ever leave your job? But you know that their opinions are not going to pay the bills and they don't get a say in your future. So be very careful who you tell. I only told three people, my husband Hobie, my wife, my wife, my mom. Why did I say my wife? My mom, and my best friend. I only told three people for six months because I knew if someone told me it wouldn't work, I would've believed them. So be careful who you tell.
I love that just like, pick your champions carefully.
Yes, I love that. Pick your champions carefully. Not everyone can hold space for your dreams. Be very, very careful. So the other thing I did is I had to get clear on my finances. So you and I have a mutual friend, Jonathan Fields. And when I told him that this is what I did, he said, "I didn't choose an exit date. I chose a dollar amount." I wanted nine months of savings in the bank before I left my lawyer job. He was a lawyer and he was leaving that. So just know even golden handcuff kind of jobs, you're allowed to leave if you want to go after something better. So he saved up nine months as fast as he could and then he was out. So look at your finances, ask yourself if you want to save some money, don't be crazy and be like, I'm going to save a year or two. It's not going to happen. I had like a month of savings in my account. And so get clear in your finances. How much money do you need to make each month and how much do you want to save before you leave? That's important. And then finally, start a side hustle. I know a lot of your students have done this with great success. Starting something while you're still in your nine to five job won't bring in a ton of money, but it could. But more importantly, you're starting to get going. You're putting that starter idea out there. You're trying a few things, doesn't need to be your end all be all, but a side hustle will move you out of the door faster. Cause you start to build a little confidence. So I go into it in much more detail in the book, but that's kind of what a runway looks like when you're getting ready to leave a job.
How about that starter idea that, like how do you, how do you decide, how do you, I mean there's a lot, you could do an online course, you could do a membership site, you could have a coaching program, you could have a coaching where you coach people or, and it could be in dog training, it could be in meditation, it could be, it could be anything. How do you begin to narrow down and how do you decide and/or test and how do you evaluate different markets and different ideas?
Okay, first of all, I love that you said dog training. Every example I ever use, I start with dog training. I don't know, maybe I think of Susan Garrett all the time or I don't know what I do, but I do the same thing. So I like two things. Number one, I take people through with something called I call the sweet spot formula. And I'm going to take people through that right now. If you're listening right now and you want to start your own thing, a side hustle or a full-time thing and you're not sure what to start, we're going to start with your topic, but Jeff hit it on the head and I go into each of these in detail in the book. You could do a course, you could do a membership, a mastermind, group coaching, service-based business, consulting, one-on-one, or group. So there's so much you could do, but we got to come up with your topic first. And before we come up with your topic, I want to tell everyone all you need is a 10% edge. And Jeff and I have seen this, I think Jeff, you would agree, we've seen people that they don't have major certifications, they don't have 20 years of education, but they've gotten results in an area and they just are 10% ahead of those that they serve. So they could show them the way, but they don't, you don't have to have more education. So a lot of people listening right now, what you need, you already have, you just sometimes think you're not good enough so you think you need more, you don't. So keep that in mind while I walk you through the sweet spot. So there's four quadrants. The first one is what are you good at? Where have you gotten results in your personal life and your business life? Where have you gotten results? And don't you dare tell me you haven't because we all have gotten results in some area or another, whether it be dog training or whether it be your really good at meal prepping or you're just really good at your job and you can take a piece of that and start your side hustle or your business with that. But you need to have gotten results. We're not going to teach anything or build a business around anything where we haven't gotten results. So that's the first quadrant. The second quadrant is who do you want to serve? And if you're not sure who you want to serve, the easiest thing to pick in the beginning, 'cause we're just going with the starter idea, is someone like you, but maybe five years ago. So you can show them the way with that 10% edge. But when you know who you want to serve, you'll get clear on what they're struggling with to make sure you have a solution for them. The third quadrant is where are people spending money? So if you start to think, I want to teach people meditation, are there books on it? Are there other courses? Do people do coaching or consulting around that topic? Are there podcasts about it? And right here I have to pause because a lot of people will say, yeah Amy, a lot of people are making money with this. It's too saturated. A lot of people are already doing this. There's no room for me. And I will tell you that the ultimate validator in the beginning is if other people are doing it and making money with it, great. There are over 7 billion people in this world and you need a tiny sliver of the internet to pay attention to make a great living online. So it's okay if it's already been done, it hasn't been done by you. So that's the third quadrant. And then the fourth quadrant is what lights you up? Not what's your ultimate passion or mission in life. I think that's too big for a starter idea. But what do you enjoy? Don't create a business around something that you dread talking about every day. 'Cause every morning you're going to sleep, breathe, eat this topic, you're going to get up every morning and you're going to go. So you at least have to enjoy talking about it or teaching it. So this is the sweet spot and it's just a starter idea. Jeff, when you first started in the online world, does your business look dramatically different today than when you first started?
100%.
You're not even doing the same thing, right?
Completely different market, everything's different.
You are a perfect example of the fact that you just have to get started. Action creates clarity. Once you get going, you'll get clarity on where you need to go and where you're going to land. But be patient with that.
That was the note I wrote down here is like I wrote down not your final answer.
Yes!
Whatever you come out with, it's not going to be the final perfect product, offer, business, whatever. I started teach and, I started out teaching about the stock market and I was passionate about it. It was cool. But then I realized I had a much bigger passion for entrepreneurship and marketing. So it's not, and even within there, the offer and what we do, what I do on a daily basis changed over and over and over. So it's not your final answer.
It's so true. And Product Launch Formula® is literally the pinnacle of everything. Like everyone in my industry knows that, you would've never gotten there if you didn't least take the leap and get going in the beginning. And your story's so fun about how you started and what that looked like. So you're a perfect example if you never know where it might lead you, but you got to get started.
Right? You know, there's one piece of my story, Amy, that I don't know if you know, but I had that business and it was about helping people with their investing and it was a very nice business. And I had a partner in that business that was helping with the content. And one day, and I'm a very loyal person. I have this incredible loyalty. So I'd sort of felt like I'd outgrown that business. I was starting to get feeling old, but I wasn't ever going to leave my partner because he helped me get started, and then one day my partner, I was literally sitting right here and he called up and he basically told me he was stealing the business from me.
What? I never heard you talk about--
Yeah. Overnight, overnight business gone. Like he took our whole customer list and said, I'm going to start publishing them from my website. And I, so I could, I could either fight it out with our paying subscribers, you know, saying, no, don't pay attention to him, pay attention to me. But I was like, yeah, you know what? I'm done with this business. But I never, I, and that's when I started Product Launch Formula was three weeks later.
Wow, okay, that's a great story to say. Even when the bad stuff happens, it could be literally meant for you. I love that you talk about that 'cause you could have been devastated and just said, "I'm going to go get a job. I was screwed," whatever. But you didn't.
Yeah. And I was, you know, in some ways I was devastated. Like I was like, you're kidding. And one moment I was like, yeah, and at that point in my life, I'd never talked to a lawyer in my life.
Oh God.
And literally never. And then all of a sudden he's like, he's suing me for the parts of the business he wasn't able to steal. And I'm talking to three lawyers at the time. I'm like, I'm spending $1,000 an hour here talking to lawyers and my income's gone. And there was all that angst. But then there was this confidence, and maybe this might tie into exactly what your book, but over time you grow capabilities and you grow confidence. And I remember when he called me, I hung up the phone and one hand, it's churning in my stomach and my gut, he's stealing from me. But the other hand was like, I can build this back better and I can build exactly what I want. And I just, I literally laughed when I put that on the phone, again, churning emotions, but I laughed. I'm like, okay, game on. Let's see what happens.
Jeff. This is so good because what I talk to my students about and what I put in the book is that it, when you make money online, you will always be able to make money online. You've cracked the code, you figured it out. And so I can't believe you're telling me this story because without getting into too much detail, there's a chapter in my book that I did not want to write 'cause it makes me look weak and I was a mess. But I had to write it about how three years into my business, I took on a partner. I had almost hit a million dollars in my business, but for some reason I felt like I couldn't do it alone. I didn't deserve that kind of success. It was going to get taken away from me. I really had some issues in the beginning with self-sabotage and imposter syndrome, which I talk about in the book. But I took a partner and basically he came to me and he said, "Hey, I could help you with your business and I could do this or that, make me a partner." And Jeff, I slept on it for one night and I told him yes. And we didn't have major legal contracts between us or anything like that. And he became my partner the next day. And then for the next few years we made millions, we did amazing things together. He was really, really smart and we did great things together until the day I woke up and realized, wait a second, I'm practically this guy's employee because I didn't know how to be an entrepreneur on my own. And so I had to really work on that. It wasn't his fault, it was mine, but I typically was his employee and I wanted out. And so when I went to him and said, "I want out, I want my business back." That was not, he was not like, "Oh sure, here you go." And that was the first time I've ever worked with a lawyer and it was so scary I had to fight for this business back. But there was one point that I thought, it's not going to happen. He's not going to come to terms with how much I have to pay him to get him out. We're not going to agree. And in my mind, one day I woke up and I thought, I know how to make money online,
I will burn this down and build it back better. And that is exactly almost what you said; where there's a confidence about being able to do this, no matter if it gets taken away or if it doesn't work out, you can always get back on that horse. And I love that about online marketing. I love that about online business. So the, I'll keep the punchline of what happened with my partnership in the book, but you and I have similar stories, and I want people to hear right now, I want you to have that confidence. You got to get started so you can get to a place that no matter what comes at you, you can always get back up. And I think that's very important. - 100%
And you start, you know, no one starts off being polished and perfect. We build those capabilities over time. We stumble our way into success. And so you mentioned the imposter syndrome, and you know, I know a lot of people will be watching this and say, yeah, Amy's so polished, every word she says is perfect, it just rolls off her tongue. They don't realize you've probably already done 100 interviews for, you know, in the last few weeks. But can you just talk a little bit about that? Like, who am I to put out a force, to put out a membership, to put out, who am I, who's going to listen to me? How can I, will people actually pay me? And how can I charge those prices I see and all the things.
- Yes, it is so normal to think that you are not capable of doing this; that is a normal feeling. It's a normal fear. So one, I want you just to say, yeah, like, okay, I'm human. And then I want you to start thinking about the fact that when you look around and you think all these people are doing this and they're doing it in a big way. First of all, you're comparing your first year to probably like their 10th year. I'm almost 14 years in, you're even longer. Like we've been at this for a long time. And so you have to be so careful when you start to compare yourself with someone else. And when you feel envious, let's say you see Jeff doing something and you're like, he does it so well, and that's what I want and I feel jealous about it. Anytime I feel jealousy, I ask myself, what does he have that I want? And then the next question is, how am I going to go get it? So I want you to allow yourself to feel that envy, but then ask yourself like, what does he have and how am I going to get it for myself? And that kind of changes the dialogue just a little bit.
But I want to tell you, when I first started out, I was terrified of video for years. I've always been very self-conscious about my weight and how I look and how I sound. So I was very, very self-conscious and didn't want video to be any part of it. In fact, when Facebook Live came out many, many years ago, I remember thinking, oh God, please let it fail. Please don't let Facebook Live become a thing because I don't want to go live on Facebook. And then here I am years later going live on Facebook for hours every single week. But in the beginning, I hated it. And I used to make videos when I first went out on my own; I made videos for YouTube and I never published them. And my husband Hobie said, "Where are all these videos? You're spending hours making videos, I don't see them anywhere online." And I said to him, "I'm really scared what my old coworkers are going to think and what they're going to say of me. And I'm scared what Tony Robbins is going to say about my videos. And so I'm just embarrassed to post them and I don't want people thinking I think I'm all that or whatever." And he said, "Babe, I love you so much, but let me give you a little tough love. Tony Robbins is not watching your videos, he's building an empire, and your old coworkers don't care." Like we think everyone's paying attention to everything we're doing, they're not. And like I said earlier, they're also not paying the bills. So it really doesn't matter. But a lot of that imposter syndrome and that fear to put yourself out there, we're worried what other people are thinking about us and we're worried what they'll think if we fail. And and at the end of the day, it doesn't even matter. It matters what you want and what you're going to be doing. So we have to really be careful of those thoughts.
- Right? So great. One of the things I like to tell people is like if you're, go to like whoever you, you're following whoever you really admire, that you're jealous of or envious of, and go to their YouTube channel and click and click on the thing that says videos and then sort it by the oldest video first and go watch their first video.
- Oh, so good, Jeff. I have a bob, I look like a monk. I have a little bob, I have a bed, I think, behind me in one of my videos, is like a mess. Like yes, go do that.
- It's, yeah, like whoever you're, you think is awesome, that's what you're seeing front stage right now. It hasn't always been that way.
- No.
- I yeah, absolutely love it. Okay, so Amy, and ask people, or ask you how people can get your book. Any final thoughts as we wrap up here?
- Yes. So "Two Weeks Notice" is available anywhere where you buy books. So online, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, target.com, wherever you want to go. But I've got bonuses. So when you buy my book, go to twoweeksnoticebook.com and I've got bonuses to help you with your online marketing and take things to the next level, so on twoweeksnoticebook.com. And then also, here's the thing I'll leave you with. I believe that everybody has a business in them. I believe that right now you have skills and knowledge and knowhow that you could translate into a business. And if you're listening to Jeff's podcast, you absolutely want this. Like you wouldn't be listening to a podcast like this if you didn't have desires to build an amazing, thriving business. So just know if you're starting out, I've got the guidebook for you, it's waiting for you. But if you've already been going and you're struggling to kind of get that foundation set and you're not making as much money as you want, you can still find value in the book. But more than anything, believe that you can, if Jeff and I can figure this out, and I mean this, if we can figure this out, you can figure this out as well.
- Thank you Amy, this is great.
- [Amy] Thank you, friend.
- Twoweeksnoticebook.com. Go check it out, get all the bonuses, get the book, and Amy is just so great talking to you.
- You too. Take care.
- [Jeff] Bye-bye.